State Foundation and Yayasan Scholarships for Malaysian Students
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Apr 21, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Study in Southeast Asia
Every Malaysian state runs its own Yayasan or foundation offering scholarships and loans, separate from federal JPA and MARA awards, but tied to being born in or having parents from that state. Yayasan Sabah and Yayasan Sarawak are the largest and best documented.
🏠 State Yayasans are funded by state governments, not the federal government, and prioritize applicants with state origin.
Yayasan Sabah funds Sabah-origin students at recognized local and overseas universities, with priority to those born and residing in Sabah.
Yayasan Sarawak requires at least one parent to be Sarawakian and, for undergraduates, an STPM-equivalent CGPA of 3.00 or higher.
🎓 Several state Yayasans are open to non-Bumiputera state residents, unlike MARA.
Check your own state's Yayasan or foundation site directly, since eligibility, deadlines and coverage differ state to state.
How state Yayasan scholarships differ from JPA and MARA
JPA and MARA are federal schemes open, with different eligibility rules, to students nationwide. State Yayasans work differently: each state government funds its own foundation, and eligibility ties to where you or your parents are from, beyond Malaysian citizenship alone. A Yayasan Sabah loan is only for Sabahans, a Yayasan Sarawak loan is only for Sarawakians, and so on. Coverage, bond terms, and whether ethnicity plays a role in eligibility all vary by state, so check your specific state foundation rather than assuming JPA and MARA rules apply.
Yayasan Sabah
Yayasan Sabah Group runs one of the longest-established state scholarship and loan schemes in East Malaysia, funding Sabah-origin students at recognised public and private institutions in Malaysia and abroad. Priority goes to applicants who were born in Sabah and are still residing there, according to Yayasan Sabah Group's education page . The scheme runs as a loan, similar in structure to MARA, rather than an outright grant.
Yayasan Sarawak
Yayasan Sarawak is a statutory body set up to support education for Sarawakians, offering both scholarships and education loans for study inside Malaysia and abroad. To qualify, at least one parent must be Sarawakian, and you must be pursuing a full-time course at a recognised institution, according to Yayasan Sarawak's official scholarship page . Undergraduate applicants coming from STPM or an equivalent qualification need a CGPA of 3.00 or higher, and postgraduate applicants need an equally strong academic record. Yayasan Sarawak opens a fresh application window each year, with the 2026/27 intake announced in April 2026 .
What the two largest state Yayasans have in common
| Foundation | Who qualifies | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Yayasan Sabah | Sabah-origin students, priority to those born and living in Sabah | Loans for local and overseas study at recognised institutions |
| Yayasan Sarawak | At least one parent Sarawakian, CGPA 3.00+ for undergraduates | Scholarships and loans for local and overseas study |
Both foundations favour courses aligned with their state's development priorities, including STEM and technical fields, when ranking applicants with similar academic records.
Ethnicity and eligibility differences
MARA restricts its awards to Bumiputera applicants. Several state Yayasans do not carry that restriction, since state governments fund students based on state origin rather than ethnicity in some cases. Yayasan Sarawak, for example, opens its scholarships and loans to Sarawakian applicants regardless of race, which matters if you are a non-Bumiputera student from a state with this kind of foundation. Confirm this directly on your state Yayasan's site, since the ethnicity rule differs state to state and is not consistent across all of them.
Other state foundations to check
Yayasan Selangor runs education loans and scholarships for Selangor-origin students.
Yayasan Islam Terengganu offers education financing tied to Terengganu residency.
Yayasan Sultan Idris Shah supports Perak-origin students.
Yayasan Pahang funds students with Pahang state origin.
Yayasan Johor offers scholarships and loans for Johor-origin applicants.
Terms and amounts differ by state and change from year to year, so treat this list as a starting point and confirm current details directly with your own state's foundation before applying.
What these loans typically cover
State Yayasan financing generally covers tuition fees and a monthly living allowance for the duration of your course, similar in structure to MARA and JPA. Exact amounts, and whether flights or overseas placement costs are included, depend on your state's budget for that intake year, so check the specific offer letter rather than assuming it matches a neighbouring state's terms.
Deadlines and how to track them
State Yayasans do not share a common application calendar. Some open once a year tied to the academic intake, others open multiple short windows, and a missed window usually means waiting for the next one rather than a rolling admission. Bookmark your specific state Yayasan's website and check it directly each year around the time your SPM, STPM or university results are released, since that is typically when applications open.
Bond conditions to expect
Most state Yayasan loans carry a bond similar to MARA's, expecting you to work within the state, or within Malaysia more broadly, for a set period after graduating. Skipping the bond without an approved release usually means repaying the loan amount in full, sometimes with an added penalty, following the same pattern JPA and MARA use for their own scholars. Read your offer letter's bond clause before accepting, since the length and enforcement differ by state and by whether the award is a full scholarship or a convertible loan.
Applying without missing a state award
Check both your state Yayasan and the federal JPA or MARA schemes if you qualify, since accepting one does not automatically bar you from applying to another, though some do ask you to withdraw from other applications once you accept an offer. Read your state Yayasan's website directly for the current application window and required documents, since the process usually needs a state-issued birth certificate or your parents' documents as proof of origin.
Stacking a state Yayasan with JPA or MARA
A state Yayasan loan does not automatically cancel a JPA or MARA application, though some students choose one funding source over another to avoid managing two separate bonds. If you already hold a JPA or MARA offer, check whether the state Yayasan you qualify for covers something the federal award does not before deciding whether applying to both is worth the extra paperwork.