From 2026 the Sarawak government pays the tuition of eligible Sarawakian undergraduates at four universities the state owns. That scheme is the largest of a set of state education payments that begins at birth and runs to the end of a first degree. They are run by different bodies and use different tests. Here is what each does.

Free tuition at four institutions

The Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme, or FTES, provides free tuition for eligible Sarawakian students on approved bachelor's degree programmes from 2026. The Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development lists four Sarawak-owned institutions under it: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and i-CATS University College, both in Kuching; Curtin University Malaysia in Miri; and University of Technology Sarawak in Sibu. Sixty-four programmes are approved, spanning science, technology, engineering and mathematics, psychology, accounting, finance, medicine and law.

The state set aside RM250 million for the scheme for 2026, and Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said at its launch in Kuching on 18 December 2025 that it would continue beyond that year, Bernama reported.

Who qualifies

The ministry's published conditions are specific. An applicant must be an Anak Sarawak holding a 'K' status identity card, or a Malaysian citizen with at least one parent holding one. They must be pursuing a first bachelor's degree, hold an offer for an approved programme at one of the four institutions, be enrolled full time, and not be receiving any other scholarship or sponsorship.

FTES is not means-tested: it is open to all eligible Sarawakian students irrespective of household income, and there is no age limit at present. It does not cover master's or doctoral study, foundation or diploma programmes, part-time students, or a second bachelor's degree. A student already on a scholarship must end that arrangement first and bear any resulting costs. Those already enrolled on an approved programme are covered from 2026, not only new entrants, and applications go through the institution on its own intake schedule.

The stipend, and the income test behind it

Tuition is one part; the stipend is the means-tested part. Students from households with a monthly per capita income of RM1,500 or below receive RM15,000 a year on top of free tuition, made up of RM5,000 for accommodation and RM10,000 for living expenses. The accommodation portion is managed by the university, while the living-expenses portion goes to the student's SPay Global account. There is no separate application.

Per capita income is defined by the ministry as household monthly gross income divided by the number of household members. A full-time student is one who keeps a structured daily schedule or fixed timetable on campus and has no job or fixed income.

The accommodation element matters more in some divisions than others: the four institutions sit in three of them, so a student from Limbang moves house to take up a place where one from Kuching may not. The sources differ on one point. The ministry's current material sets the stipend as an annual RM15,000 allowance, while Bernama's report of December 2025 described a monthly stipend.

The rules once a student is on it

FTES carries conditions on study itself. A programme change is allowed once only and must be within the same institution. Recipients may not transfer between the four; a student moving in from elsewhere applies afresh and starts at Year 1 with no credit exemption. Deferment is capped at two semesters, and the cost of overrunning the approved duration falls on the student.

Laptops, book vouchers and special financial assistance

Separately, the state runs a free laptop, book voucher and special financial assistance package known by its Malay initials, BKK. Applications go through the my-Yayasan system rather than the ministry, and the ministry's guidance is that it reaches only students at institutions recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education and accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. Where a parent has no payslip, a certified income verification letter is needed.

The state scholarship loan

Older than either is the Biasiswa Pinjaman Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak, administered by the Public Service Commission from Wisma Satok in Kuching. It is open to Sarawakians and permanent residents of Sarawak studying full time for a diploma or degree, but only at public institutions, and it does not apply to medical or education programmes. Priority goes to the B40 income group, and applicants bring certified income documents alongside their identity, birth and academic certificates.

The fund that starts at birth

The Endowment Fund Sarawak is a grant of RM1,000 to every Sarawakian born from 2019, held as savings rather than paid out, and intended for higher education, starting a career or small business capital. The recipient must be a Malaysian citizen with one or both parents holding a MyKad with 'K' status, and the application is made at birth registration or within one year of birth at any of the 52 National Registration Department branches in Sarawak. It is a trust account, so it cannot be topped up, and the money is released when the recipient reaches 18.

How the schemes fit together

Two threads run through all of them. The first is 'K' status: each scheme turns on Sarawakian identity rather than residence. The second is that the state does not pay twice. FTES excludes anyone holding another scholarship, and the scholarship loan points at public universities while the free-tuition scheme points at the four the state owns. Which door a student uses is largely settled by where they win a place.

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