The International Open University (IOU) prioritizes affordability, making it the ideal choice for budget-conscious students seeking quality education. We are an educational institution that primarily seeks its reward with Allah (swt), and consistently seeks to assist students with the challenge of balancing their financial limitations with their educational aspirations.

Admission Fee

After registering for a new student account, verifying it, and filling in additional profile details, students are required to pay a one-time US$10 application fee to have their admission processed. Once it has been paid, the student can then submit digital copies of their admission documents, which include a passport photo, photo ID, and their educational certificate or degree.

Semester Fee

Once the Registrar’s office has confirmed a student’s admission, they will be able to pay their semester fees. Three factors determine how much a student will pay in semester fees: study plan, country of residence, and program level.

Factor 1: Study Plan

In order to make studying at IOU flexible, we offer 3 study plans which students can choose from. For the best results and effective time management, it is recommended to study 5 to 6 hours per course, per week.

¹ Accelerated plan is available for earlier curricula programs.
^** Some masters degree do not have a part-time study option

Factor 2: Country of Residence

To make fees affordable, a sliding scale fee has been developed according to the standard of living in a student’s country of residence. This concept is based on the Human Development Index, where countries are divided into 4 development levels: Low, Medium, High and Very High. The table below shows the semester fees for undergraduate programs (certificate, associate, bachelor) in these 4 levels.

Factor 3: Program Level

The final factor in calculating a student’s semester fee is the certificate or degree program they wish to undertake. This will normally be determined by the student’s current level of education, but they will also be allowed to pursue Bachelor’s and Master’s degree-level programs beyond their education level through the Audit Courses program.

Early Bird Discount

New students who register before the 1st of March or before the 1st of September for the Spring and Fall semesters respectively, will not only get early access to the study material before the semester begins, but also a 10% discount on their first semester fees.

Financial Aid for Low-Wage Migrant Workers

Domestic workers, blue-collar workers, or low-wage earners in offices and their dependents who live in a foreign country will be eligible to apply for financial aid to help them pay tuition fees based on their home country. Interested students should fill in the FMW Request Form and await further instructions regarding the application process.

Installment Plan

In order to assist students who are unable to pay the semester fees all at once, IOU offers a payment plan for approved students. Students will be required to submit relevant documents to attest to their financial situation in order to be approved for the payment plan. They will be able to pay 50% of the semester fee at the beginning of the semester, and another 50% before the mid term exams. To request this option, please contact the Help Desk during the enrollment period in March or September.

Credit Transfer Fee

Students may apply for a credit transfer if they have successfully completed courses at another accredited university or college and those courses align with the IOU program they would like to join. They may request credit transfers for a maximum of 50% of the courses or credits in the IOU program they are applying for. Supporting documents (e.g. university transcripts) are required to be provided to the Registrar’s Office for credit transfer approval. Kindly note that a credit transfer differs from a course waiver; while a credit transfer recognizes a course as already completed, a course waiver requires the student to take a substitute course in place of the one that was waived.

Modes of Payment

We offer 3 methods of fee payment to make it convenient for our students.

• Bank Card: Students can pay online by debit or credit card. Payments made online will be in US dollars, and an additional card processing fee will be charged to the card.
• Local Bank Transfer: Students in some countries can pay their fees to an IOU bank account within their country of residence, or their home country, in the local currency or US dollars. Local bank transfers are available in Indonesia, Malaysia, and several countries in Africa, like Gambia, Nigeria, and South Africa.
• International Bank Transfer: Students can pay by wire transfer to our Malaysian bank account in US dollars. Any transfer charges that may occur during and at the receiving bank must be paid by the student, so any additional processing fees should be included in the transferred amount.

Return Policy

Please note that fees paid to the International Open University (IOU) are neither refundable nor transferable to another student under any circumstances. If a student pays the semester fees without enrolling in a course, the fee payment will be transferred to the next semester for the same student. Advanced payment of semester fees can be utilized to pay for other services such as ‘Late Course Drop Fine’ or ‘Grade Transfer Fee’, if a student so wishes.