6,246 say ‘yes’ to FTES offer

A total of 6,246 students have accepted Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) as of Sept 30.

Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the scheme continues to support eligible Anak Sarawak pursuing higher education at Sarawak-owned institutions.

“FTES ensures that eligible Anak Sarawak have greater access to quality higher education, without the financial burden of tuition fees,” he said during his ministerial winding-up speech on Monday (Oct 19).

He said the students were enrolled across four institutions, comprising Curtin University Malaysia with 949 students, i-CATS University College with 464, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus with 2,802 and University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) with 2,031.

Recognising that education expenses extend beyond tuition fees, Sagah said the scheme also provided an annual stipend of RM15,000 to eligible students from lower-income households to help cover living and accommodation costs.

“(A total of) 3,195 students who had accepted FTES offers qualified for the stipend, providing additional financial assistance to those who needed support while pursuing their studies,” he said.

Meanwhile, student intake across 64 courses covered by FTES increased significantly to 3,491 in 2026, compared with 1,528 students in 2025, before the scheme was established.

“This represents a substantial increase of 1,963 students or 128.5 per cent,” he said, adding that the courses supported Sarawak’s strategic economic priorities, including hydrogen, precision agriculture, data centres and aerospace.

Sagah also thanked assembly members for promoting FTES, particularly among rural communities, and encouraged them to continue raising awareness so eligible students could benefit from the opportunities available.

He said his ministry had also conducted outreach programmes to bring information about FTES and other higher education opportunities closer to rural communities.

Separately, the feasibility study for establishing the first wholly state-owned Faculty of Medicine at UTS had been completed, with regulatory approvals and infrastructure requirements still necessary before the programme could begin.