How to apply PTPTN loan for Higher Education?

PTPTN stands for Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (or National Higher Education Fund Corporation), and is a government institution that offers study loans specifically for tertiary education for Malaysian students.

PTPTN loan is one of the top choices for students looking for education loans, given its relatively low interest rate. In addition, if you achieve a First Class Honours for your Degree, your loan could be converted into a scholarship, where you will be exempted from paying back the loan!

The National Higher Education Fund (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi National, PTPTN) was set up with the aim of providing education loans to students pursuing their studies at local higher education institutions (HEIs). This loan will enable students to fully or partially pay their fees and their subsistence for the duration of their study. Since 1997, PTPTN had disbursed loans to 1.95 million students, totalling more than RM43.60bil.

Criteria to apply for PTPTN:

1. Malaysian citizen;
2. Aged not more than 45 years on the date of application;
3. Has been offered a place at IPTA/ IPTS and Polytechnic by fulfilling entry requirements determined by the Ministry of Education and Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA);
4. The course to be pursued by the IPTA/ IPTS and Polytechnic student must have registration approval from the Ministry of Education;
5. For IPTS students, the course to pursued must have the Certificate of Accreditation from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and still valid on the application submission;
6. For a student who has other qualifications different from the conditions in paragraphs (4) and (5), a verification must be obtained from the department or agency as stated above; to show that the qualifications are on par with the required qualifications
7. Remaining period of study at time of the application should not be less than one (1) year;
8. Student has no other sponsor;
9. SSPN-i saving account is a requirement prior for application

Below is the summary of the loan amounts, quoted on a per-year basis:
(All figures are for reference only)

How to Apply?

• Open a SSPN-i account — you can do this at any PTPTN counters, or at Maybank, Bank Islam, BSN, CIMB Bank, Agrobank or Bank Rakyat;
• Open a savings account at a panel bank — you will need to open a savings account with a specific bank based on your choice of institution. To find out which panel bank you’ll have to open a savings account at, go to the Semakan Jadual Permohonon dan Bayaran Pinjaman page. Enter the name of your preferred course or institution and click on the one you’re looking for. The relevant panel bank will then be shown to you;
• Buy a PTPTN number from Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) — this will cost you RM5, and is valid for 6 months;
• Note that the SSPN-i account is different from your savings account. SSPN (or Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional) is a savings scheme by PTPTN for higher education. You must have a SSPN-i account in order to apply for your PTPTN loan.

• Head to PTPTN’s website to apply online: http://www.ptptn.gov.my/gateway;
• Complete the application form carefully based on the instructions;
• If you are in doubt, check with your college or university counsellor who will be able to assist you in the process. You do not want to be rejected for providing incorrect or insufficient information!

• You will be able to check the results of your loan application 6 working days after the closing date of the PTPTN online application.

Step 4: Submit supporting documents (hardcopy) to your college / university.
Prepare 2 revenue stamps worth RM10 each, to be affixed to the Education Financing Agreement
For each of these documents, print from the PTPTN website:

• 2 copies of Education Financing Offer Letter, including Acknowledgement of Receipt & Approval Letters 1, 2, 3 and 4;
• 2 copies of Education Financing Agreement;
• 2 copies of Education Financing Agreement Appendix;
• 1 copy of Financing Application Information.

• 1 copy of your IC, both front and back on the same side;
• 1 copy of your SPM certificate;
• 1 copy of the letter of admission / offer letter from your college / university;
• 1 copy of your examination transcript or other qualification certificates (e.g. STPM, Diploma, Matrikulasi, A-Level, Foundation, etc.);
• 1 copy of both your parents’ salary slip / income tax return / retiree card / pension statement / income verification letter / letter of confirmation of unemployment.

Further information can be found on the government official portal at: https://www.ptptn.gov.my/

If you are not sure which path you want to pursue for your tertiary education, you should find this psychometric test here to be helpful in providing some aptitude breakdown and course suggestions upon completion of the test. Feel free to proceed to the test, it's free after all!