11th September 2026 - 5 min read
If your family is registered in eKasih, the PTPTN loan for your diploma or bachelor’s degree at a public university or polytechnic could become a scholarship you won’t have to repay. This comes under the eKasih Children’s Scholarship (Biasiswa Anak eKasih PTPTN, or BAeK PTPTN), which is for students from poor and hardcore poor households.
In June 2026, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said PTPTN has set aside RM210 million for BAeK PTPTN, up from RM120 million in Budget 2026. That’s enough for 10,000 students, instead of the 5,800 first planned. By 31 May 2026, 402 students had received the scholarship, according to PTPTN chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim.
There’s no separate scholarship application for BAeK PTPTN. You apply for a PTPTN loan through myPTPTN as usual. Once your loan is approved, PTPTN checks whether you meet the BAeK PTPTN requirements. If you do, you’ll receive a scholarship offer.
Ahmad Fitri Nor, 23, is studying electronic engineering at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Fitri, the sixth of eight children, told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that he had planned to work part-time to cover his daily expenses. He was instead offered RM26,600 through BAeK PTPTN. “I no longer have to think about working part-time and can devote my full attention to my studies,” he said.
Irwana Mahad, 22, is studying human resource management at UiTM Puncak Alam. She received about RM18,000, which covers her basic tuition fees and helps with accommodation, daily expenses, and reference books. Irwana used to work part-time during semester breaks to earn extra money. With the scholarship, she can spend more time on her studies without worrying as much about her family’s finances.
To qualify, you must be a Malaysian citizen aged 25 or below on the day you apply. You also need to be studying for a full-time diploma or bachelor’s degree at a public higher education institution (IPTA) from 1 January 2026. Your course must be registered in PTPTN’s application system.
If you started your studies before 1 January 2026, you won’t qualify for BAeK PTPTN, even if your family is registered in eKasih.
Your family must be registered in the eKasih database. If it isn’t registered yet, your family can register in person at the nearest district office (Pejabat Daerah) or State Development Office (Pejabat Pembangunan Negeri). They’ll need to bring their MyKad and proof of income. Your family can also register through a local community leader, such as the village development and security committee (JPKK). Once registered, you can check your family’s status on the eKasih portal with a MyKad number.
You’ll need an active Simpan SSPN Prime or Simpan SSPN Plus account. If you already have a PTPTN loan, it can’t be one that PTPTN has handed to a Debt Consultancy Agency (Agensi Perunding Hutang, or APH). PTPTN only hands accounts to an APH if they’re more than 120 months behind on payments or have a court judgment recorded. You’ll also need at least one semester of study left when you apply.
Diploma students can receive RM4,750 a year. For bachelor’s degree students, the yearly amount is RM6,180 for arts courses and RM6,650 for science courses.
Fitri’s RM26,600 scholarship works out to four years at the science degree rate of RM6,650 a year. Irwana’s human resource management degree is an arts course. If her degree runs for three years, that would come to RM18,540 at RM6,180 a year, close to the amount she received.
Start with a regular PTPTN loan application through the myPTPTN web app. Once your loan is approved, you’ll receive a loan offer document to complete and sign. You can submit it online via myPTPTN or at a PTPTN branch counter.
If you qualify for BAeK PTPTN, PTPTN will send you a scholarship offer by email and through the myPTPTN app. Print and complete the scholarship offer document, then sign the amendment notice (Notis Pindaan) that comes with it. You don’t need to cancel the PTPTN loan agreement you’ve already signed.
You’ll then need to hand in the completed offer document and notice at a PTPTN branch counter within 14 days from the date of the scholarship offer letter.
With a regular PTPTN loan, you start repaying 12 months after your loan period ends, and the loan carries a 1% yearly management fee known as ujrah. Once your repayment schedule is generated, PTPTN also sends your loan details to the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS), which banks check when you apply for a home loan or car loan.
With BAeK PTPTN, you finish your studies without a PTPTN loan to repay. That means no monthly repayments and no ujrah. Since there’s no repayment schedule, there’s nothing for PTPTN to report to CCRIS. The scholarship is paid each semester instead of in one lump sum. PTPTN has said each payment depends on your exam results, as confirmed by your university.
With a regular PTPTN loan, you need a GPA of 2.0 or above in the previous semester to receive the next semester’s payment. Payments also pause if you defer or are suspended from your studies, and restart once your re-registration is confirmed. PTPTN hasn’t confirmed whether the same 2.0 GPA rule applies to BAeK PTPTN.
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As a creative content writer, Eloise has covered finance, business, lifestyle topics, and even moonlights as a singer-songwriter outside of RinggitPlus. Her current interests are learning the best ways to optimise spending and credit card hacks to gain more airline miles.
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