MAJLIS Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has announced it will suspend all student sponsorships to the United States starting this year, citing adverse impacts from new policies under the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
MARA Chairman, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, said the agency is currently in discussions with its 266 sponsored students at private colleges in the US to explore alternative arrangements, including transfers to other countries.
“We are seriously reviewing the various new policies introduced under Trump. Our priority is to assess how far these measures affect the education and welfare of our students there, including the rising cost of living,” he said.
Among the alternative study destinations under consideration are the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China — all offering lower tuition fees and more stable institutional partnerships.
Asyraf noted that key academic disciplines affected by this transition include Computer Science, Engineering, and Advanced Technologies such as Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Trump administration had earlier drawn criticism for issuing directives that halted the processing of student visas and proposed vetting new applicants based on their social media activity.
In a related development, three leading universities in the United Kingdom — the University of Warwick, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Edinburgh — have agreed to offer tuition fee discounts of between 10 and 20 percent to MARA-sponsored students.
“Alhamdulillah, following negotiations with Warwick University, Birmingham University and Edinburgh University, all three have agreed to provide discounts of 10 to 20 percent for MARA students,” Asyraf shared via a Facebook post.
He confirmed that MARA remains committed to facilitating a smooth transition for its scholars into more conducive academic environments, noting that student wellbeing and education continuity remain the agency’s primary concerns. - June 2, 2025
