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9 Scholarships for Malaysian Students
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In 2019, over 70,000 Malaysian students abroad. As Malaysia develops its human capital and boosts its competitiveness on a global stage, this number increases. But a post-secondary education, especially as an international student, doesn’t come cheap. Thankfully there are plenty of excellent scholarships for Malaysian students to choose from.
Applying for a scholarship is a long-term process. There’s much to research to learn about how to get a scholarship to study abroad for Malaysians. For a running start, here’s our roundup of international scholarship for Malaysian students!
The Best Scholarships for Malaysians
Scholarship Name | Awarded by | Country of Study | Fields of Study | Level of Study | Scholarship Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Khazanah Global Scholarship | Yayasan Khazanah (Malaysia) | US, UK, Australia | business, engineering, life sciences, other fields deemed necessary for Malaysia's development | undergraduate, postgraduate | Fully funded |
MyBrainSc Scholarship | MyBrainSc Scholarship Malaysian Ministry of Education | US, UK, Australia, Canada | natural sciences | undergraduate, postgraduate | Fully funded |
Shell Malaysia Overseas Undergraduate Scholarship Awards | Shell Malaysia | US, UK, Australia | engineering, science, commerce | A-levels, undergraduate | Fully funded |
Bank Negara Scholarship | Bank Negara | US, UK, Australia | economics, accounting, finance, actuarial science, math, statistics, law, data, and computer science | pre-university, undergraduate, postgraduate | Fully funded |
JPA Scholarship - Program JKPJ | Malaysia Public Service | Japan, Korea, France, Germany | engineering, science, technology, and social sciences | pre-university, undergraduate | Fully funded (*repayable loan) |
UEM Group Undergraduate Overseas Scholarship | UEM Group Berhad | The UK, Australia (and others) | business, engineering, IT and computer/technology fields and actuarial science | undergraduate | Fully funded |
Fullbright Program | US Department of State | US | any field; preference may be given to certain subjects | postgraduate | Partially funded |
British Council GREAT Scholarship | British Council in partnership with UK Government | UK | postgraduate | Partially funded | |
Chevening Scholarship | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK | UK | | postgraduate | Fully funded |
1. Khazanah Global Scholarship
Offered by the Yayasan Khazanah foundation, this scholarship program is open to all Malaysian citizens. This government initiative provides fully-funded awards to students in fields like business, engineering, life sciences, and other fields necessary to Malaysia’s development. If you’re eligible, you receive complete financial support, covering fees, living costs, accommodation and more.
Scholarships for Malaysian universities are available if you’re studying at these top universities
UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|
University of Oxford | California Institute of Technology | University of Melbourne |
University of Cambridge | Stanford University | |
Imperial College London | Harvard University | |
University College London | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
University of Edinburgh | Princeton University | |
London School of Economics | University of California Berkeley | |
Kings College London | Yale University | |
University of California, Los Angeles | | |
University of Pennsylvania | | |
Cornell University | ||
John Hopkins University |
As a scholarship holder, you must maintain a high level of academic performance. Upon completing a program, you must return to Malaysia to work for Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, or other affiliated organisations. The required employment period matches the length of your program duration.
Fields of Study: business, engineering, life sciences, other fields deemed necessary for Malaysia’s development
Level of Study: undergraduate and postgraduate
Eligibility: open to Malaysian citizens below age 40 with excellent academic, extracurricular, and leadership track records
2. MyBrainSc Scholarship
This is an initiative by the Malaysian Ministry of Education to raise a generation of young scientists and scholars. The program covers scholarship for Malaysian students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels enrolled in natural science programs.
Scholarships for Malaysian students studying abroad are open for top globally ranked universities in the Australia, US, Canada, and UK. The award covers expenses including tuition fees, living costs, accommodation, and things like your flight tickets, visa-related fees and so on. After completing your studies you agree to return to Malaysia and work in a government-approved school or research institution.
Fields of Study: natural sciences, like physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics
Level of Study: undergraduate and postgraduate
Eligibility: for bachelor’s, Malaysians not older than 21; for master’s, not older than 28; for PhD, not older than 35. Applicants must have first-class academic track records
3. Shell Malaysia Overseas Undergraduate Scholarship Awards
This annual scholarship is open for A-level and undergraduate students in engineering, sciences, and commerce. Subject to consistent academic performance, Shell Malaysia fully covers expenses like tuition, living costs, and other expenses. The award program is open for both local institutions and top-ranked universities in the US, UK, and Australia, including:
UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|
University of Oxford | Stanford University | University of Melbourne |
University of Stanford | California Institute of Technology | Australian National University |
University College London | Harvard University | |
Imperial College London | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
University of Edinburgh | Princeton University | |
London School of Economics | Yale University | |
King’s College London | University of California, Berkeley | |
University of California, Los Angeles | ||
Columbia University | ||
University of Pennsylvania | ||
Cornell University | ||
University of Texas Austin | ||
Colorado School of Mines |
Fields of Study: engineering, sciences, commerce
Level of Study: pre-university and undergraduate
Eligibility: students with excellent academic, extracurricular, and leadership track records
4. Bank Negara Scholarships
Bank Negara Malaysia offers full scholarships for Malaysian students abroad and at home, at pre-university, undergraduate and graduate levels. The award programs cover study in commerce, math and computer science fields. Among the universities you may receive scholarships for are:
UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|
University of Leeds | University of Pennsylvania | University of Melbourne |
London School of Economics | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Sydney |
University of Warwick | University of California Berkeley | Australian National University |
Lancaster University | University of Michigan | University of Queensland |
University of Cambridge | New York University | Monash University |
University of Oxford | University of Texas, Austin | |
University College London | Carnegie Mellon University | |
King’s College London | Cornell University | |
Durham University | Harvard University | |
Imperial College London | Princeton University | |
University of Birmingham | Stanford University | |
City, University of London | Columbia University | |
University of Kent | Yale University | |
University of Manchester | University of Chicago | |
University of Exeter | Northwestern University | |
University of Nottingham | University of California, Los Angeles | |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | ||
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | ||
University of Washington | ||
Georgia Institute of Technology | ||
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
If you accept a Bank Negara scholarship, you agree to work for the bank for an equivalent of 2 years for every 1 year of study. So, for example, if your program is 3 years long, you work for Bank Negara for 6 years.
Fields of Study: economics, accounting, finance, actuarial science, math, statistics, law, data, and computer science
Level of Study: pre-university, undergraduate, postgraduate
Eligibility: open to students with excellent academic track records, and strong leadership and interpersonal skills. For master’s, there is an age limit of 30 years, and for PhD, 35 years.
5. JPA Scholarship – Program JKPJ
This government-provided scholarship funds foundational and undergraduate studies in Japan, Korea, France, and Germany. The fields funding is available to cover engineering, science, technology, and social sciences.
This is a loan offered by the government to SPM students. You need to enrol in preparatory courses at a local school before attending a university in one of the 4 countries above. If you enter civil service after graduation, your loan repayment is fully waived. In other words, if you work as a public servant after graduation the loan is a full, non-repayable scholarship. If you work for a Government-Linked Company (GLC) after graduating, you pay back 25%. If you start working in a local private company, you repay 50%. And in any other situation, you repay 100% of the loan.
Fields of Study: engineering, science, technology, social sciences
Levels of Study: pre-university and undergraduate
Eligibility: open to students below the age of 18 when applying, with sound academic track records in relevant subjects
6. UEM Group Undergraduate Overseas Scholarship
Malaysia’s leading engineering-based infrastructure and services conglomerate, UEM Group, offers this scholarship for undergraduate students. Pursuing a bachelor’s in business, engineering, IT and computer/technology fields and actuarial science? You may receive full tuition coverage along with coverage for expenses like medical insurance and living expenses.
As a candidate, you’ll have to complete a pre-university program at Kolej Yayasan UEM before entering undergraduate study at top international universities. By accepting this scholarship, you also bond to Yayasan UEM to work for the company for up to 5 years.
Fields of Study: business, engineering, IT and computer/technology fields and actuarial science
Level of Study: undergraduate
Eligibility: Malaysian citizens with excellent academic performance in high school, with a minimum of 7 As in SPM exams. You must also display strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, and a good extracurricular track record.
7. The Fullbright Program
This is a US-government program in partnership with 160 countries. Fullbright offers partial grants to Malaysian citizens for postgraduate study in the US. This means the grant supplements your personal funds and any existing scholarships or other funding you receive. The amount of the grant varies depending on the funding already available to you. So, this scholarship is a great option if you scored a partial scholarships from a home institution or the university you’ll be studying at.
The grants cover a variety of fields, from performance arts, humanities and social sciences to natural sciences and engineering. For Malaysia specifically, preference is given to applicants enrolling in specific programs (listed below). These grants are valid for one academic year but are renewable for a second year. These grants are valid for one academic year but are renewable for a second year. These renewals are not automatic. You need to be nominated for approval from the J. William Fullbright Foreign Scholarships Board.
Fields of Study: American Studies, Comparative Religion, Economics and Technology Transfer, Islamic Studies, Issues in Contemporary Society, International Relations, Malaysian Studies. Note that you can apply no matter what field you’re studying. As long as you’re eligible and qualified your application is valid. When accepting the grant, you agree that you’ll return to Malaysia after completing your program.
Level of Study: postgraduate
Eligibility: Malaysian citizens with a bachelor’s degree at or above CGPA 3.0, who meet specified TOEFL, GMAT and GRE score requirements
8. British Council GREAT Scholarships for Malaysian Students
GREAT Scholarships is a partner program between the UK government and the British Council. A total of 30 scholarships across many different fields are on offer for postgraduate study. The scholarship amounts to £10,000 to cover tuition for a one-year postgraduate course at a UK university. These awards are available for the following schools:
- Anglia Ruskin University
- Bangor University
- Birmingham City University
- Bishop Grosseteste University
- Cranfield University
- Imperial College London
- Keele University
- Newcastle University
- Nottingham Trent University
- Oxford Brookes University
- Royal Agricultural University
- Staffordshire University
- University of Bristol
- University of Derby
- University of Dundee
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- University of Kent
- University of Nottingham
- University of Reading
Level of Study: postgraduate
Eligibility: Malaysian citizen with a valid bachelor’s degree, work experience and proven interest in the area you’re applying to study in
9. Chevening Scholarships for Malaysian Students
Funded by the UK government, this program covers postgraduate study at UK universities. You must apply for 3 different full-time master’s courses to be eligible. You could apply for 3 separate courses at the same university, or the same or similar course at 3 different universities. To apply for a Chevening scholarship, you’ll need to receive an unconditional offer for at least one of these courses. Before applying, do check that your course is eligible for this award!
Chevening funding includes full scholarship covering tuition (except for MBA programs, which have an £18,000 cap). It also covers monthly stipends, travel expenses within the country and to your home country, visa application, etc.
Level of Study: apart from PhD in Diplomatic Studies at Oxford University, limited to master’s degrees
Eligibility: Malaysian citizens with 2 years (2,800 hours) of work experience and a valid bachelor’s degree. You must receive an unconditional offer from 1 of the 3 courses you apply to and must return to Malaysia within 2 years after your scholarship funding ends
Final Thoughts on Scholarships for Malaysian Students
This list isn’t by any means a complete one, but it’s a great place to start. There are plenty of amazing scholarships for Malaysian students out there. You may find opportunities offered by government institutions or private companies. Explore and take advantage of these opportunities, exclusive to Malaysian citizens! The sooner you start and the more research you do, the more prepared you are to meet eligibility requirements! These scholarships don't only offer incredible opportunities to study in renowned schools. They also open the door to instant employment after graduating!
