MIS Universities and Fields: Where the Scholarship Can Be Used

The list below is taken from the “List of universities” section of the MIS 2026 guidelines. The guidelines name the institutions with these spellings and abbreviations, and we keep them as given. A university that is not listed is not covered, however well known it is.

The 24 supported institutions

If your offer letter uses a different or newer name for a listed university, check with MOHE that it is the same institution.

MIS does not admit you

MIS is a scholarship, not an admission system. The terms say scholars must enrol in full-time postgraduate study and that “it is the responsibility of the scholars to confirm their admission to the university”. In practice you deal with two separate processes:

1. 1
   University

   Apply for the programme through the university’s own postgraduate admissions

   Each university sets its own entry requirements, intakes and application fees. If you already have an offer when the MIS window opens, upload it.

2. 2
   MOHE

   Apply for MIS through the MOHE portal

   MIS checks your nationality, age, results, English and documents, and judges your proposal. MIS does not mention university application fees, so assume you pay them yourself.

The admission letter is listed as a document to upload “if applicants are currently undertaking postgraduate studies or if applicants have secured admission to the university”. It is not marked as compulsory for everyone. Even so, a file with an offer shows MOHE that you can actually start. If you can get one before the window, do.

The nine priority fields

The guidelines say you may apply for any accredited course, but priority goes to these areas of study:

• Education
• Arts and Humanities
• Social Sciences, Journalism and Information
• Business, Administration and Law
• Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Veterinary
• Health and Welfare (not including medicine, nursing and pharmacy)

That covers almost every subject. The one clear exception is medicine, nursing and pharmacy, which are left out of the Health and Welfare priority. MOHE does not say that these subjects are banned outright. Still, if you plan a clinical degree, assume MIS is a poor fit and ask MOHE before you apply. MTCP’s 2026 guidelines say plainly that nursing, medicine and clinical pharmacy are not covered.

Choosing where to apply

Selection criterion 2 rewards proposals that can advance “technology and human well-being, with a preference for Malaysia-related research topics”. The terms also require research to be carried out in Malaysia. Taken together, the best match is a supervisor and department that already work on a Malaysian question you can study on site. Some practical filters:

• Research fit first. Find a supervisor at a listed institution whose recent work matches your proposal. Most universities list research staff on their faculty pages.
• Mode of study. Coursework Master’s applicants need no proposal. Research Master’s and PhD applicants do. If your programme is mixed-mode, ask MOHE whether it needs a proposal.
• Intake timing. The MIS window and university intakes do not line up neatly. Check the university’s intake dates against the expected MIS timeline.
• Already enrolled? If you are already at a listed institution, you can apply as long as you have at least two semesters left.

Private institutions

Only four private institutions are listed: UTP, UNITEN, MMU and INCEIF. Admission to any other private university or college in Malaysia does not qualify, even if that institution is well known.

Source: MIS 2026 guidelines, “List of universities” and “Areas of study”.