Curtin Malaysia collaborating with Yayasan Sarawak to offer special scholarships for Bumiputra students

Miri – 9 January 2020 – Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) has reached an agreement with Yayasan Sarawak to jointly launch a special scholarship scheme aimed at increasing the enrolment of Sarawak Bumiputra students in the M40 and B40 income groups at the campus.

In addition to being Curtin’s largest international campus established 20 years ago in a joint venture with the Sarawak State Government (the global university has other international campuses in Dubai, Singapore and Mauritius), Curtin Malaysia is also the university’s global hub in Asia.

Under the scheme, Curtin Malaysia will offer eligible Bumiputra students enrolling in its foundation courses in commerce, engineering and science, and undergraduate courses in engineering, science, technology, commerce and arts, special discounted tuition fees which will be substantially subsidised by Yayasan Sarawak for the duration of their courses.

The students will need to pay only the difference between the discounted fees and the amount of subsidies provided by Yayasan Sarawak, which will represent a huge saving and put a world-class education and Australian degree well within their reach.

According to Yayasan Sarawak Director Haji Azmi Bin Haji Bujang, who is also a member of Curtin Malaysia’s Board of Directors, deserving students enrolled under this special scheme are still eligible to apply for other educational financial assistance schemes from Yayasan Sarawak to cover their fees, as well as all incentives that come under the schemes.

He added that Yayasan Sarawak is prepared to subsidise up to 100 students annually and, despite the inclusion of those in the M40 income group in the scheme, priority will be given to those in the B40 group.

“We hope that this special scheme will make the fees more affordable and therefore increase the number of Bumiputra students at Curtin Malaysia,” he said.

Curtin Malaysia Chief Operating Officer Pieter Willem Pottas, meanwhile, said Curtin Malaysia was pleased to participate in the scheme in its commitment to help eligible Bumiputra students in the lower income groups to fulfil their aspirations for higher studies and a quality international education. He said the scholarships are also aimed at giving back to the local community for the outstanding support it has given to the campus since its establishment in 1999.

“Through such scholarships, we aim to improve access and equity for academically high achieving students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to high-quality tertiary education, which might otherwise be beyond their financial means,” said Pottas.

These scholarships follow Curtin Malaysia 20^th Anniversary Scholarships, Curtin Malaysia Foundation Scholarships and Curtin Malaysia Merit Scholarships designed to improve access and equity to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to high quality tertiary education with Curtin. Curtin Malaysia has offered over RM30 million in such scholarships to deserving students over the years. Information on scholarships and financial aid offered can be found at scholarships.curtin.edu.my.

Scholarships to give Bumiputra students in lower income groups greater access to high quality tertiary education.