The 20-year-old singer shot to fame with the chart-topping boy band in 2010 and had to put his educational dreams on hold, but he said he would love to go back to his studies one day, reported Contactmusic.
"If I wasn't doing this, I'd be at uni. I wanted to, and still quite want to, do an English degree. It's frustrating because I don't get any time to read on tour.
"I don't get time to call my mum and dad, never mind get stuck into a book. As soon as I try, I fall asleep. I do want to get a Kindle though, perhaps that would make it a bit easier," Malik said.
"Those four lads are the only ones who really understand how it is. They have my back with everything, but they'd tell me if I'm acting weird too. They'd be the first to tell me," he said.