Program Penajaan Nasional

About the Scholarship

The grade bar is the main entry requirement. Engineering, science and technology candidates need 9A+ across nine named subjects. Other fields require 8A+ in the specified combination of compulsory and elective subjects. Every subject left over has to come in at A- or better. SPM has to be a first sitting.

What follows is a single package rather than two decisions. JPA funds a 24-month A-Level course at Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, Kolej Yayasan UEM or Taylor's College, then the first degree abroad, with fees and allowances at both stages.

The destination list is short and ranked. Degree places sit at universities in the QS 2026 top 20 overall or top 10 by subject, in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and China. Singapore is out for 2026, and United States placements depend on the policy in force when the offer is made.

The field of study is open with a long carve-out. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture, law, nursing, paramedical and pre-service programmes, education, professional courses and certificates, and any twinning, dual degree or collaboration programme are all excluded. JPA lists a separate programme for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

The sponsorship is a convertible loan, and the final transcript sets how much is repaid. Graduate without an extension at a CGPA of 3.75 to 4.00 and 5% is repayable. At 3.50 to 3.74 it is 10%, at 3.00 to 3.49 it is 15%, and finishing with an extension at 3.00 or above makes it 20%. Falling below 3.00, or failing, makes the whole amount repayable.

Joining the Malaysian public sector afterwards in a post that requires an equivalent qualification clears whatever balance is left. JPA states that qualifying public-service appointments exempt the remaining loan balance.

This model, Pinjaman Boleh Ubah Berasaskan Merit Akademik, replaced the older place-of-service scheme and has applied automatically to every new sponsored student since 1 June 2025.

Household income shapes the shortlist rather than the eligibility. B40 and M40 candidates are prioritised, and strong Mandarin is prioritised for placements in China.

Two conditions catch people after the offer. Accepting JPA sponsorship rules out financial aid from any other party for the same level of study, and a blacklisting of either the applicant or their parents ends the application.

The PPN page sets the citizenship, age, subject-grade and QS ranking requirements. It names preparatory colleges only as those selected for the current year and describes fields as open, subject to sponsorship policy.

The more detailed JPA programme summary, page 7, dated as at 1 April 2026 and linked from JPA's iPandu student guide, specifies the 24-month A-Level course, shows Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, Kolej Yayasan UEM and Taylor's College, and lists the exclusions and preparation-stage allowance rates. Its destination flags show the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and China. These details describe the 2026 programme, not a guarantee for a later intake.

JPA's 28 April 2025 sponsorship-model notice confirms the repayment percentages, qualifying public-service exemption, and application of PBU Akademik to new sponsored students from 1 June 2025, except Dermasiswa recipients. It sets separate repayment rules for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy; the percentages described here apply to the other fields.

Sources checked on 4 October 2026. Application timing remains unknown until the current PPN call is verified.

What It Covers

Tuition
Living stipend
Other

One package runs from the preparatory course through the first degree. At the preparatory stage JPA pays tuition fees plus an allowance, set at a cost of living allowance (ESH) of RM530 a month where accommodation is provided, or RM200 a month in pocket money where accommodation and food are both provided, along with other facilities. At first degree level it pays tuition fees, an allowance including ESH, and other facilities. The sponsorship takes the form of a convertible loan, Pinjaman Boleh Ubah Berasaskan Merit Akademik, which has applied automatically to every new sponsored student since 1 June 2025. How much of it is repaid depends on the final result: 5% at a final CGPA of 3.75 to 4.00 or equivalent, 10% at 3.50 to 3.74, and 15% at 3.00 to 3.49, each where the course finished without an extension; 20% where the course finished with an extension at a CGPA of at least 3.00; and 100% where the final CGPA falls below 3.00 or the student fails. A graduate appointed to the Malaysian public sector in a post requiring an equivalent qualification is also exempted from repaying the remaining balance.

Eligibility

Be a Malaysian citizen sitting SPM for the first time, at any secondary school or as a private candidate. Grades are the main gate and they differ by field. For engineering, science and technology, at least 9A+ across Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, History, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, an Islamic or Moral Education subject, and one further subject. For every other field, at least 8A+ across Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, History, an Islamic or Moral Education subject, Science, and any two electives. Either way, every remaining subject needs at least an A-. Applicants must be free of chronic or infectious illness requiring follow-up treatment and certified fit to complete their studies. Neither the applicant nor their parents may be blacklisted by JPA or subject to JPA legal action, and anyone whose sponsorship was previously terminated for breaching an agreement cannot apply. A student who accepts JPA sponsorship may not take financial aid or sponsorship from any other party for the same level of study. Priority goes to candidates from B40 and M40 income households, and students with strong Mandarin are prioritised for placements in China. Applicants must not have reached 19 years of age on 31 December of the year they sat SPM, or 20 years of age for students who went through the peralihan transition class.

Eligible Countries

citizenship: Open to Malaysian citizens only.

🇲🇾 Malaysia

How to Apply

Selected candidates are sponsored as a package covering a 24-month A-Level course at Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, Kolej Yayasan UEM or Taylor's College, followed by the first degree abroad. Degree places are limited to universities in the QS World University Rankings 2026 top 20 overall or top 10 by subject, in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and China. JPA states that there is no sponsorship in Singapore for 2026 and that placements in the United States are subject to policy in force at the time. The field of study is open, excluding medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture, law, nursing, paramedical and pre-service programmes, education, professional courses and certificates, and twinning, dual or double degree and collaboration programmes run with another institution.