How to Choose Between UBD, UTB and UNISSA: Entry Requirements for Brunei's Three Universities

Three national universities, three different strengths

Brunei runs three public universities that between them cover most of the academic paths a Bruneian student needs at home. Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) is the largest and broadest, Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) specializes in technical and applied fields, and UNISSA (Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali) trains students in Islamic law, Arabic and religious studies. Picking between them starts with matching your intended field to what each institution teaches.

Applying through Brunei's HECAS system

Local school leavers apply to Brunei's public higher education institutions through HECAS, the Higher Education Common Application System run by the Ministry of Education. HECAS is an online portal that also handles applications to government scholarship programs, so your university and scholarship choices go through the same system rather than separate applications to each institution.

Students without home internet access use HECAS terminals set up at four secondary schools, one in each district: Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah in Brunei-Muara, Sekolah Menengah Sultan Hassan in Temburong, Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Othman in Tutong, and Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali in Belait. Career guidance officers at these locations help with the application.

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)

UBD describes its degrees as broad based, learner centered and multidisciplinary, and it runs a first year Discovery Year that lets students explore subjects before settling on a major. Applicants apply online through UBD's application portal, and entry is assessed against a published points system built on Brunei-Cambridge GCE A-Level grades.

A-Level grades convert into points: A* scores 140, A scores 120, B scores 100, C scores 80, D scores 60 and E scores 40. AS-Level results do not count toward admission, General Paper and English as a Second Language are excluded as A-Level subjects for the points total, and results are accepted only from your first three sittings, or your first two sittings for health sciences programs.

English requirements ask for at least a C6 in GCE O-Level English Language, a B in IGCSE English as a Second Language, IELTS 6.0, TOEFL 550, or Band B2 on the UBD English Proficiency Test. Medicine and Dentistry set a higher bar: IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 600. Meeting the published minimums does not guarantee a place, since UBD selects competitively against limited seats each intake.

Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB)

UTB, Brunei's technology focused university, organizes its undergraduate offer across the School of Business, School of Computing and Informatics, School of Applied Sciences and Mathematics, School of Design, and a standalone Faculty of Engineering. Applications go through the UTB application portal , with intakes run as named academic sessions, for example the 2026/2027 session.

UTB suits students aiming at engineering, computing, design or applied science careers rather than the wider subject spread UBD offers. Contact UTB admissions directly at [email protected] for current program-by-program grade requirements before applying, since these are set per school and not published in one central table.

UNISSA (Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali)

UNISSA opened in January 2007 as Brunei's first Islamic university and the country's second national higher education institution, admitting its first cohort that August. As of 2024 it enrolls around 1,798 students across seven faculties: Usuluddin, Shariah and Law, Arabic Language, Islamic Economics and Finance, Islamic Development Management, Agriculture, and Islamic Technology.

UNISSA is a member of the ASEAN University Network and the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and it ranked 221st in the 2024 World University Rankings for Innovation. It is the clear choice for students set on Sharia law, Arabic language, Islamic finance, or Islamic studies degrees that UBD and UTB do not teach.

Postgraduate options

Each of the three universities also runs postgraduate programs alongside undergraduate ones. UBD offers Masters and PhD study across its broad subject range through its graduate school, UTB extends into postgraduate engineering, computing and business degrees, and UNISSA has run doctoral programs since its first 2007 intake. If your interest lies beyond a first degree, check each university's graduate admissions page separately from the undergraduate HECAS process, since postgraduate entry generally runs through direct application to the university rather than HECAS.

Cost as a factor

Studying at UBD, UTB or UNISSA as a Brunei citizen costs far less than an equivalent degree overseas, since public tuition is heavily subsidized. This matters most for students without a JPA or other government scholarship, since a local degree removes most of the funding pressure that comes with studying in the UK, Australia or elsewhere. Weigh this against the narrower subject range at UTB and UNISSA compared to UBD, and against the reality that some fields, particularly advanced medical specialties and highly specialized engineering research, still require overseas study regardless of which local university you choose first.

How to decide

• Want the widest subject choice, or aiming for Medicine or Dentistry: apply to UBD.

• Set on engineering, computing, applied science, design or business: apply to UTB.

• Committed to Sharia, Arabic, Islamic finance or Islamic studies: apply to UNISSA.

• Budget conscious and eligible for a local place: weigh the subsidized cost of staying in Brunei against a narrower subject range.

• Unsure between fields: check each university's own entry requirements page and talk to your school careers officer before HECAS applications open, since course and university choices are made together in the same system.