UPM Scholarships 2026-2027: IGSS, PASS, GRA for International Students

Planning a master’s or PhD at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and looking for funding? Here is the short answer for 2026-2027: UPM’s main award for international students is the International Graduate Student Scholarship (IGSS), a 30% to 50% tuition waiver for PhD students from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. UPM alumni and their children can apply for PASS-International, and research students can earn a monthly allowance as Graduate Research Assistants (GRA). For full funding, many students combine a UPM offer with the Malaysian government’s Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS).

This guide covers each scheme, who can apply, what it pays and when the calls open, based on UPM School of Graduate Studies (SGS) pages for the First Semester 2026/2027.

UPM Scholarships at a Glance (2026-2027)

International Graduate Student Scholarship (IGSS)

IGSS is UPM’s own scholarship for international doctoral students. It reduces tuition fees but does not pay a living allowance.

Eligibility

• PhD applicants from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East or Africa. Priority goes to developing countries of strategic importance to UPM and to institutions with an MoU or MoA with UPM.
• A master’s degree with an excellent academic record.
• At least one published journal article and/or strong recommendations from academic leaders such as a vice-chancellor, dean or director.
• New students, or students in their first semester with “Continue” status.
• No other scholarship or financial support, and not employed at the time of applying.

Award and documents

• Award: a 30% to 50% tuition fee waiver for up to 3 years (6 semesters), reviewed every year based on academic progress.
• Documents: a support letter from your supervisor and a letter from your embassy confirming that you receive no scholarship, financial assistance or income from any government or agency.
• How to apply: online through the SGS student portal; your supervisor and dean or director must endorse the application online before the deadline.

The First Semester 2026/2027 call ran from 1 to 31 August 2026. Late or incomplete applications are not processed, and appeals are not accepted.

Putra Alumni Scholarship Scheme (PASS) – International

PASS-International rewards UPM graduates who return for postgraduate study, and their children.

• Awards per year: 100 for alumni and 20 for alumni’s children.
• Value: a 10% tuition fee waiver for alumni; 30% to 50% for alumni’s children, following the IGSS scheme.
• Duration: up to 2 years for a master’s and up to 3 years for a PhD.
• Academic requirements: a bachelor’s degree with a CGPA of at least 3.50, or a master’s degree; research programmes only.
• Other conditions: a supervisor’s support letter and approved research proposal, at least one journal article and/or strong recommendations, an embassy letter confirming no other funding, and no employment. Alumni must have graduated on time.
• Timing: the First Semester 2026/2027 call ran from 1 to 31 August 2026. Applicants who hear nothing within three months of the closing date should assume they were unsuccessful.

Graduate Research Assistant (GRA)

GRA is open to both local and international research students. It is paid from your supervisor’s research grant, which must be active with a balance of at least RM15,000 for the appointment period. For the First Semester 2026/2027, the call was for extensions only, meaning students who already held a GRA in the previous semester.

Monthly allowance (based on weekly duties)

Fee waiver per semester

Conditions

• Up to the 4th semester for a master’s and the 6th semester for a PhD.
• Help with teaching, tutorials, practicals or lab work for up to 6 hours a week, including semester breaks, and with research as assigned by your supervisor.
• Record your daily attendance on the student portal; no allowance is paid for a month with 10 or more days of absence.
• Meet the publication requirements as first or corresponding author, and sign an agreement bond.
• No other scholarship or employment.

Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF): Local Students Only

International students often ask about GRF, but the 2026/2027 call is for local students only, and only for extensions. It pays RM1,000 a month for master’s and RM1,300 for PhD students, plus the same partial fee waiver as GRA. If you are an international student, look at GRA and IGSS instead.

Special Graduate Research Allowance Scheme (SGRA): Malaysian Citizens Only

Earlier guides described SGRA as open to all research students, but UPM’s latest published terms (December 2025) limit it to Malaysian citizens, because it is paid from the Ministry of Higher Education’s Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS). It pays up to RM2,000 a month for master’s and RM2,500 for PhD research students, with no fee waiver. International students should look at GRA and IGSS instead.

Financial Assistance to Attend International Presentation

UPM supports PhD students who are invited to present their research orally at an academic event abroad.

• Registered PhD students with “Continue” status, in their first six semesters, who have passed the 1-credit seminar course.
• The event must be run by a university, research institute, academic association or government agency, not a commercial organiser. International students cannot use it for events in their home country.
• Apply to SGS at least one month before the event and get i-PUTRA outbound mobility approval; claim within one month after the event with receipts and a report.

UPM also lists Financial Assistance for International Research Attachment for students who spend time at a partner institution abroad; ask SGS for the current terms.

What Changed Since Our 2023-2024 Guide

• IGSS is now clearly limited to PhD students from Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
• GRA and GRF calls for the First Semester 2026/2027 were for extensions only, and GRF and SGRA are for Malaysian students only.
• We removed schemes that no longer appear on UPM’s 2026 scholarship list, including the Fee Exemption Incentive for Sponsors Scheme (FEISS), and older external programmes such as gLINK.

Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS)

The Malaysian government’s MIS is the most generous award available for postgraduate study at UPM, which is on the list of eligible public universities. The 2026 call, announced in March 2026, offered full tuition fees paid to the university and a living allowance of RM1,500 a month. Key conditions:

• Full-time master’s or PhD study, for applicants from ASEAN, Commonwealth and other listed countries.
• A CGPA of at least 3.00 for master’s applicants; a CGPA of 3.00 or an excellent master’s result for PhD applicants.
• IELTS 6.0, TOEFL PBT 550, or a previous degree taught in English.
• Age limit of 40 for master’s and 45 for PhD applicants.
• Priority fields include agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary science, engineering, ICT and natural sciences, all strengths of UPM; medicine, nursing and pharmacy are excluded.

UPM is especially strong in agriculture and food security research, which fits MIS priorities well. For other awards, see our list of scholarships in Malaysia for international students.

When and How to Apply

1. Pick your programme and intake. Most UPM awards are tied to the semester you start; see the UPM intakes for 2026.
2. Find a supervisor. IGSS, PASS and GRA all need your supervisor’s support, and GRA depends on their research grant.
3. Get your admission offer. UPM awards are for new or registered students, so apply for admission first.
4. Prepare documents early. Transcripts, research proposal, publication list, supervisor’s letter and the embassy letter confirming you have no other funding.
5. Apply in the SGS portal during the call. Calls run for about a month each semester; the First Semester 2026/2027 window was 1 to 31 August 2026. Watch SGS announcements for the second semester call.

Also budget for compulsory costs that scholarships rarely cover, such as visa processing and health insurance for international students. If you are comparing universities, our guides to master’s study in Malaysia and PhD study in Malaysia explain costs and funding across the country.

FAQs

Sources: UPM School of Graduate Studies, list of postgraduate scholarships and financial aid and scheme pages for the First Semester 2026/2027; Ministry of Higher Education, MIS 2026 guidelines.