What You Need to Know About PTPTN Loans

by StudyMalaysia.com on January 11, 2024 | Top Stories

The PTPTN Loan Scheme (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi National) is an agency set up by the Ministry of Education Malaysia to provide education loans to needy students who want to pursue higher education at local Higher Education Institutions. This loan is open to students at, or going to Public Education Institutions (IPTA) and Private Higher Education (IPTS) only.

This loan depending on circumstances and requirements can finance all or part of tuition fees and living expenses throughout the student’s period of study. Since 1997, PTPTN has disbursed loans to 1.95 million students, totalling more than RM43.60bil

The PTPTN education loans are subject to a flat rate of Upah (Ujrah) of 1% per annum. This interest facilities the administrative and management costs. If you take a PTPTN loan worth RM45,000 with a repayment period of 15 years, the total interest rate you have to pay monthly is RM37. If you achieve a First Class Honours for your degree, your loan can be converted into a scholarship and you are exempted from paying back the loan! (Note: This policy may change)

Students need a 2.0 GPA to maintain their loans. If they have a GPA of less than 2.0, they will not receive PTPTN loans for that particular semester. However the loans will be reinstated if grades improve.

In addition, students are required to obtain insurance on the amount borrowed and all the premium deductions will be made on their behalf by PTPTN. All PTPTN loan borrowers will undergo an insurance deduction for the purpose of protecting their loan based on their study period and loan repayment period. The insurance deduction will be done every semester when the loans are disbursed.

Only certain qualifications are eligible and at certain institutions. Those taking approved Diploma and Degree courses at either public or private institutions are eligible to apply. Students taking professional courses (e.g. ACCA, ICAEW) or Postgraduate studies (Masters, PhD) only at Public Universities are eligible for PTPTN loans. Part time courses are also eligible for loans but only applicable in public institutions and selected private institutions.

Foundation courses eligible for loans must be done at the following private universities:

• Multimedia University (MMU)
• Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
• Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)
• Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK)
• UNITAR International University (UNITAR)

PTPTN loans for part-time courses are only eligible at the following private universities.

• Open University Malaysia (OUM)
• Wawasan Open University
• Asia E University (AeU)
• UNITAR International University (UNITAR)
• Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK)

Terms & Condtions

• Loan offers are subject to the eligibility criteria set by PTPTN.
• Loan period is based on the number of semesters to be completed at the time of application.
• For information on loan application and how to fill out the loan offer agreement, students should visit the PTPTN website.
• Completed application must be affixed with a revenue stamp and sent together with a copy of letter of admission. This is to say the students must satisfy all entry requirements for approved courses at these institutions before they can apply for the loan.
• Also check out the result of your application at the website.
• Validity of the offer is 14 days from the approval date.
• If you wish to reject the offer, you must submit the Borang Pembatalan of the Tawaran Pinjaman Pendidikan PTPTN to any state PTPTN office.
• Failure to do so may render you unqualified for future loans under PTPTN.
• A second loan will be considered
  • on completion of studies for the previous loan.
  • after the student has settled all outstanding balance of the previous loan.
  • if the student is continuing his/her studies at the same level or higher than the level for the previous loan.

Loan Amount

The amount offered depends on

• Household income
• The type of institution the student is attending
• The course being pursued

The loans are needs-based. Therefore lower-income families can borrow a larger amount and the loans offered for private institutions are higher since the tuition fees are normally higher than those of public universities. Also science-related courses may be offered a bigger amount than humanities courses.

Eligibility criteria for the loan:

• Applicants must be a Malaysian citizen
• Applicants must be 45 years and below at the time of application
• Applicants must pass Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) with credits in any 3 subjects
• Applicants must already have an offer to study at any local IPTA, IPTS and Polytechnics.
• For community college certificate holders, the applicants must have an offer to pursue a polytechnic diploma, and the applicants must pass SPM and obtained a CGPA of 3.0 and above at certificate level; for polytechnic diploma holders, the applicant must have an offer to pursue first degree studies at public or private HEIs
• For HEI or polytechnic students, the courses that they want to pursue must have the approval from the Higher Education Department (for HEI courses) or the Department of Polytechnic Education (for polytechnic courses) respectively
• For private HEI students, they must pursue courses which have obtained the Accreditation Certificate from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). The course's Accreditation Certificate approval period must still be valid on the date of application
• All students must possess entry requirements determined by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to pursue the course. For students with qualifications that differ from that stipulated, verification that the said qualification is equivalent to the required qualification must be obtained from the departments or agencies specified above.
• There must be a remaining period of study for more than one year.
• Applicants require two guarantors one of who must be the parent of the borrower.
• Applicants must not be receiving financial aids from other sponsors.
• Applicants must have an SSPN-isavings account before applying for PTPTN loan. This SSPN-isavings is designed by PTPTN to encourage parents and students to save up for their higher education.
• The loan is not available for pre-university courses like A-Levels or International Baccalaureate (IB).

What is the sum of loan I will be offered?

The loan amount per year varies and it depends on the course taken and at which institution. See the chart below for details.

This information is subject to any changes determined by PTPTN.

* The actual loan amount is determined according to the tuition fees and the cost of living based on the income of the applicant's father / mother / guardian, but not exceeding the maximum amount specified.

Will I be able to get a full loan?

PTPTN loans are divided into three categories – full, partial and tuition fees only. This is determined by the applicant's monthly household nett-income and number of dependents in the family.

* The monthly household nett income will be subtracted with the number of dependents (1 dependent = RM250)

When will I receive the funds?

1. The first time loan disbursement will be made only after the loan agreement is complete and received by PTPTN.
2. The loan disbursement for subsequent semesters will only be made after PTPTN receives the student's status of study from the respective institutions.
3. The loan disbursements will be credited into the student's account unless otherwise agreed upon.

When do I start repaying the loan?

You have a 6-month grace period after your graduation date, after which you have to start paying off the instalments for the PTPTN loan.

How long am I given to repay the loan?

The period of loan repayment is based on the total loan taken:

How do I apply for the PTPTN loan?

• Applicants need to apply through the PTPTN online loan application website at http://www.ptptn.gov.my
• Applicants can only apply according to the application period as determined by the respective HEIs. A guide to the dates to make an application according to the respective institutions can be viewed at the PTPTN website
• Applicants need to purchase a RM5.00 PIN at any Bank Simpanan Nasional branch
• Applicants must receive an offer of admission from the HEI before applying for the education loan.
• Applicants should have an individual account in the bank specified by the respective HEI with the exception of applicants who are currently studying at a HEI that provides the facility of pre-opening bank accounts for its students
• Successful applicants need to log on to the PTPTN online loan application website to print the listed documents

What will happen if I discontinue or cancel my PTPTN loan?

Borrowers who have failed, discontinued, changed their course of study or obtained other sponsors have to pay off the total amount of their loan. They will not be offered an instalment scheme in these cases.

What happens if I fail to repay my loan?

Those who default in their loan repayment will be issued three reminders. After the third (final) reminder, the borrower will be issued a Letter of Demand. Subsequently, defaulters will not be permitted to apply for or renew their passport.

• Source: PTPTN
• Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/newly-graduated-people-wearing-black-academy-gowns-throwing-hats-up-in-the-air-267885/
• Search Courses Eligible for PTPTN Loan

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