For many years, the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has been practicing the guideline of only providing educational sponsorship to students who do not receive any other financial assistance.
MARA Director General, Datuk Zulfikri Osman said that the regulation has been implemented for a long time and is not a new requirement.
Previously, there was an issue regarding a student from the Sultan Abdul Halim International Islamic University (UniSHAMS) being denied MARA sponsorship because he had already received a loan from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).
Zulfikri said that when the Tertiary Education Sponsorship Program (TESP) application opened in November 2024, the main condition for MARA sponsorship was that students could not receive sponsorship or financial assistance from other sponsors for the same level of study.
MARA wants to provide an opportunity for Bumiputera students who do not receive scholarships from other agencies to receive MARA educational assistance.
Furthermore, MARA is committed to providing loans to students who meet the conditions to ensure access to higher quality and systematic education.
In total, MARA has sponsored a total of 4,510 Bumiputera students in the medical field nationwide as of 31 March 2025.
