THE damage arising from the Covid-19 outbreak is not limited to our health, and has led to financial constraints due to the economic slowdown. The near future looks very uncertain for everyone, particularly school leavers who are faced with the dilemma of whether they can afford to pursue their tertiary education.
In view of this, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) is introducing the Covid-19 Instalment Plan to help students whose families have been adversely hit financially due to Covid-19.
The plan will provide greater flexibility for new TAR UC students to manage the payment of their first semester fees for the May 2020 intake.
With the Covid-19 Instalment Plan, the first instalment has been greatly reduced to RM265, while the second and third instalments will have a longer time frame for new students to pay, giving them and their families more time to plan their finances during this time of uncertainty. Students can also apply for other TAR UC financial assistance/student loans after the first instalment payment to help cover their fees.
Among the other financial assistance for TAR UC students is the TAR UC Student Loan Fund. To date, there are 41 interest-free revolving student loans which are funded by philanthropic organisations, corporations, alumni and individuals specifically to help ease the financial burden of needy TAR UC students.
Since its inception in 1979, more than 12,000 loan awards with a total amount of close to RM37.5 million have been disbursed through the TAR UC Student Loan Fund where the loan funds cover the entire tuition fees of each student recipient.
Besides this, in order to assist more underprivileged students to pursue tertiary education at TAR UC, the institution also partners with externally administered funds such as The Star Education Fund, Sin Chew Daily Education Fund and Nanyang Tertiary Education Fund to provide scholarships to them.
In addition to this, external organisations have collaborated with TAR UC to provide scholarships or bursaries such as the TAR UC – JINBODHI Bursary and Bursary for State / National Players. On top of that, TAR UC also assists students in applying for other external study grants/scholarships such as the Kuok Foundation Study Grants, Yayasan Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng Scholarship, Lion-Parkson Foundation Scholarship, CIMB Asean Scholarship and OSK Foundation Scholarship.
Apart from financial aid, TAR UC also provides incentives such as the TAR UC Sibling Discount offered for parents who have two or more children studying in TAR UC. Potential students whose sibling(s) are current full-fee-paying TAR UC students in the same semester will be given a RM1,000 discount off their first semester tuition fees.
Another attractive financial incentive provided by TAR UC for deserving students is the TAR UC Merit Scholarship. Established in 1997, potential TAR UC students who obtain excellent results in their SPM/STPM/UEC will be automatically offered the Merit Scholarship which covers up to 100% waiver of tuition fee. In addition, effective 2020, TAR UC’s merit scholarships will be extended to UEC school leavers who obtain 6As or 5As.
Since 1997, approximately RM111.8 million worth of merit scholarships has been disbursed to more than 24,000 students.
In addition to this, the latest form of scholarship established by TAR UC in 2019 is the TAR UC Sports Scholarship. This scholarship is aimed at students who have a good background in sports and are planning to pursue their studies in TAR UC.
Among the financial aid recipients in TAR UC is Devonna anak James Steward from Lundu, Sarawak, who is pursuing her Bachelor of Business (Hons) in International Business.
For Devonna, being away from home was challenging in the beginning. She said: “The thought of being away from my family was daunting, but I am lucky that I live with my sister near the TAR UC Kuala Lumpur Main Campus. However, I still find life rather challenging, where finances are concerned. Therefore, I am glad I approached the team in TAR UC who advised me to apply for the TARC Student Loan. It was such a relief for me and my family when my loan application was successful.”
More information on courses and scholarships is available at www.tarc.edu.my.
