PTPTN Is Now Partly a Scholarship: What BAeK Changes in 2026
Budget 2026 introduced Biasiswa Anak eKasih PTPTN — PTPTN funding converted from a loan into a scholarship for students from eKasih-registered poor households studying full-time diploma or degree programmes at public universities. It began with 5,800 recipients and RM120 million a year, and has since been raised to 10,000 students under the higher education plan for 2026–2035.
By Degreemate Editorial · Education research teamPublished Updated 3 min read
For most of its history PTPTN has been one thing: a loan you take, study on, and repay. Budget 2026 added a second thing to it.
Biasiswa Anak eKasih PTPTN (BAeK PTPTN) converts PTPTN funding from a loan into a scholarship for students from households registered in the national eKasih poverty database. Announced by the Prime Minister in the Budget 2026 presentation on 10 October 2025, it started with 5,800 students from poor families at public universities and an allocation of RM120 million a year. In line with the Malaysian Higher Education Plan (RPTM) 2026–2035, the number of recipients of PTPTN's scholarship and free-education initiative has since been raised to 10,000 students from poor households.
What it actually is
Not a new application queue running in parallel with PTPTN. It is PTPTN money, given as a scholarship instead of a loan, to students who meet the poverty criteria.
The stated conditions include:
- Study at diploma or bachelor's degree level, full-time, at a public higher education institution (IPTA).
- Study beginning from 1 January 2026.
- The household is registered in the eKasih database as poor or hardcore poor.
- An active SSPN savings account.
Full eligibility criteria and the application mechanism are published by PTPTN at ptptn.gov.my — confirm there, because criteria for a scheme this new are the most likely thing to be revised.
Why the eKasih and SSPN conditions matter more than they look
Two administrative details decide whether a genuinely eligible family benefits.
eKasih registration is not automatic. A household in poverty that has never been registered in eKasih does not appear in the data the scheme draws on. If your family's circumstances qualify, registration through the district social welfare channels is the prerequisite step — and it is not something you can do in the week the offer letter arrives.
The SSPN account must be active. An SSPN account opened years ago and dormant is a common, avoidable disqualifier. Check it before the intake, not after.
How this sits with ordinary PTPTN
For everyone else, PTPTN remains a loan with the same mechanics: financing by study level and institution type, disbursement by semester, repayment beginning after graduation, and discounts for early or lump-sum settlement. The PTPTN loan guide covers those mechanics.
The practical reading of BAeK is that the government has begun separating two groups it previously treated identically: students who need financing and students who need funding. If your household is in the second group, the paperwork that proves it is now worth real money.
What to do about it now
- Check whether your household is registered in eKasih. If it should be and is not, start that process through the welfare department.
- Open or reactivate an SSPN account. It is a condition here and is used in other schemes too.
- Apply for PTPTN as normal when you take up your place — the scholarship conversion works from within the PTPTN system.
- Do not stop applying for other sponsorship. JPA, MARA, state foundations, GLC and corporate scholarships all run their own windows, most of them in the fortnight after SPM results. See the scholarships guide and the live scholarships list.
Figures and conditions here are as announced in Budget 2026 and subsequent PTPTN statements. Scheme rules change; verify current criteria at ptptn.gov.my before relying on them.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who qualifies for BAeK PTPTN?
- Students from households registered in the eKasih database as poor or hardcore poor, studying full-time at diploma or bachelor's level at a public higher education institution from 1 January 2026, with an active SSPN account.
- Does BAeK cover private university students?
- As announced, the initiative applies to full-time diploma and degree study at public higher education institutions (IPTA). Private-institution students remain served by ordinary PTPTN financing and other scholarship schemes.
- How many students does the scheme cover?
- It was announced in Budget 2026 for 5,800 students with RM120 million a year, and the number of recipients of PTPTN's scholarship and free-education initiative was subsequently raised to 10,000 students in line with the higher education plan for 2026–2035.
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