6,246 students have accepted FTES at Sarawak-owned higher institutions as of Sept 30 2026

KUCHING, Oct 19 2026: Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn said a total of 6,246 students have accepted the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) at Sarawak-owned Institutions of Higher Learning (SIHLs) as of Sept 30 this year.

Caption: Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn (seated, centre) giving a press conference after delivering his winding up speech in the State Legislative Assembly

He said these students are enrolled across the four SIHLs, with Curtin University Malaysia accepting 949 students; i-CATS University College 464 students; and  Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus
2,802 students, University of Technology Sarawak 2,031 students.

"My ministry remains committed to the continued implementation of FTES, to ensure that eligible Sarawakian students have greater access to quality higher education, without the financial burden of tuition fees," he said in his winding up speech in the State Legislative Assembly (SLA) today.

Sagah said recognising that the cost of pursuing higher education, the state government also provides an annual stipend of RM15,000, to eligible students from lower-income households. 

He added the stipend is to help cover their living and accommodation expenses, noting that to date, 3,195 students, of those who have accepted the FTES offer, qualify for the stipend.

He said the 2026 student intake across the 64 courses under the FTES, experienced significant growth, rising to 3,491 students, compared to 1,528 in 2025 intake, prior to the establishment of FTES.

"This represents a substantial increase of 1,963 students or 128.5%. These courses cover a range of disciplines relevant to Sarawak's strategic economic priorities, including the hydrogen economy, precision agriculture, data centre
development and the aerospace industry. 

"We are confident that this momentum will be sustained," he stressed.

Sagah also said a feasibility study for the establishment of the first wholly state-owned Faculty of Medicine at University Technology Sarawak (UTS) has been completed

He said the next step is to fulfil the relevant requirements and criteria, and approval by Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysian Medical Council and  Malaysian Qualifications
Agency, including the necessary infrastructure, before the medical programme can commence.