TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID

Financial assistance has made education accessible to students from all walks of life. Here are the most popular scholarships and loans available in Malaysia.    

Education loans are defined as money borrowed to fund education related expenses and require students to start paying back with monthly instalments six months after graduation. Popular education loans in Malaysia include the PTPTN and KOJADI.  

National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN)

Since beginning their operations in 1999, PTPTN has provided thousands of Malaysians with study loans, created saving schemes and managed funds for higher education. PTPTN loans are open to students who wish to study a diploma, undergraduate degree, postgraduate degree, a part-time course or distance learning course. To be eligible to apply, the applicant must be a Malaysian citizen, not over the age of 45, and obtained at least three SPM credits. PTPTN offers loans up to RM16,000 annually for those studying at private institutions and a maximum repayment period of 20 years. For more detailed information, please visit www.ptptn.gov.my/  

Koperasi Jayadiri Malaysia Berhad Education Loan (KOJADI)

KOJADI provides effective educational loans to students in addition to producing quality manpower to fuel the nation’s human resource department. To be eligible for a KOJADI loan, students must have already secured an acceptance letter from the institution of their choice. After that, they are required to sign up as a KOJADI member with RM100 initial shares. The maximum loan amount offered by KOJADI is RM30,000 for undergraduate programmes but an exception is made for medical related courses, where the amount is fixed at RM50,000. Interested students can visit the KOJADI website http://kojadi.my/v2/index.php?lang=en  

Scholarships are grants made to support an individual’s education and is awarded based on a combination of academic and extracurricular achievement. No repayment is necessary. Popular organisations associated with granting scholarships are JPA, Sin Chew Daily and Yayasan Khazanah.  

The Public Service Department (JPA)

JPA awards full and partial scholarships to deserving students to pursue diploma and degree programmes at both local and foreign institutions. It is important to take note that JPA only offers scholarships for a certain number of courses under a specific area of discipline. Other than academic achievement, JPA also considers the applicant’s participation in extracurricular activities, socio-economic background, and performance during the interview. In addition, academically excellent students can apply for JPA scholarships that offer overseas sponsorships if they wish to pursue degree programmes abroad. Application forms can be downloaded from the JPA website www.jpa.gov.my  

Sin Chew Daily Education Fund

Sin Chew Daily has been giving out full scholarships to financially needy students since 2004. Free education is provided to selected students pursuing diploma and degree programmes in partner local and foreign higher learning institutes. Only students below the age of 26 who achieved good results in their pre-university courses are eligible to apply for this scholarship. In addition, students must also meet the requirements set by the institutions that carry this education fund. Sin Chew Daily will only accept applications between the months of December and March, and shortlisted students will be called for an interview in the month of April.  

Khazanah Scholarship Awards

Sponsored by Yayasan Khazanah, this scholarship programme creates opportunities for students to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate courses at renowned universities in the United Kingdom and United States. Students who are currently pursuing their higher education studies can also apply for this scholarship. Applicants must be Malaysian citizens who display consistent academic performances in their courses. This scholarship will not be awarded to students with a CGPA lower than 3.75 in their foundation studies. Also, only students who maintain a CGPA of 3.5 in their undergraduate courses may consider applying for this scholarship. More details can be found on the Yayasan Khazanah website here www.yayasankhazanah.com.my/  

There are many scholarships and loans offered by government bodies, banks and companies in Malaysia. Examples include the Skim Prihatin Pendidikan 1Malaysia (SPP1M) by Maybank, the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) Scholarship, the Bank Negara Undergraduate Scholarship Awards, and The Star Education Fund.