By Tuan Mohd Najwa Fuad Tuan Man, Postgraduate Management Centre

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has strengthened its commitment to postgraduate education through the introduction of the Vice-Chancellor Scholarship and the Postgraduate Alumni Discount. These initiatives are part of the university’s strategic effort to attract more local and international students while expanding access to advanced academic programmes.

According to Vice-Chancellor Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd Zamri Ibrahim, these initiatives respond to key challenges in higher education, including global competition, financial pressures faced by students, and the evolving needs of academia. UMT is therefore adopting more inclusive and innovative approaches to ensure postgraduate education remains accessible and sustainable.

As of 4th May 2026, a total of 42 local students and 23 international students have benefited from this initiative. UMT has set aside RM650,000 to support the sustainability of the scholarship as part of the university’s effort to build a more global academic community.

Starting Semester II 2025/2026 academic session, The Vice Chancellor Scholarship offers tuition fee waivers for new postgraduate students in their first semester. Eligible students enrolling in PhD and Master’s programmes by research receive waivers of up to RM5,724 for Science programmes and RM4,149.90 for Social Science programmes. Meanwhile, students enrolling in the Master Coursework Programme receive a discount up to RM 4,000.00.

In addition, the Postgraduate Alumni Discount was also introduced to encourage UMT graduates to continue their studies at their alma mater. Alumni who pursue further studies with continuous progression are entitled to a 15% tuition fee discount, while those returning alumni receive a 10% discount. To date, 26 alumni have benefited from this scheme.

This move aligns with UMT’s goal of increasing postgraduate enrolment up to 1,500 students by 2026. The current postgraduate population consists of 600 PhD students, 419 Master’s by Research students, and 111 Master’s by Coursework students.

Feedback from students has been encouraging, with many highlighting the financial relief provided by the scholarship, which allows them to focus more on their academic and research work. Alumni have also expressed appreciation for the discount, describing it as a motivating factor to continue their postgraduate journey in a familiar and supportive environment.