KUALA LUMPUR, 21 October 2018: The British Council today announced the launch of the "GREAT Scholarships 2019 - Malaysia" at a media briefing held in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in conjunction with the Study UK Malaysia Exhibition.

The GREAT Scholarships is a scheme under the British Council's Study UK campaign, which encourages and supports individuals to pursue higher education in the UK. The scheme is jointly funded by the UK government's GREAT Britain Campaign, the British Council, and participating universities in the UK. It provides funding opportunities to prospective students from a selected number of countries who will enrol into the UK universities in the autumn of 2019.

The inaugural GREAT Scholarships 2019 - Malaysia offers more than RM500,000 worth of scholarships to qualifying Malaysian students intending to undertake postgraduate taught studies in the UK. Five UK universities have partnered with the British Council to offer scholarship opportunities under the GREAT Scholarships 2019 - Malaysia scheme. These universities are Aberystwyth University, Queen's University Belfast, the University of Kent, the University of Stirling, and the University of Warwick.

The UK attracts more than 17,000 Malaysian students every year, most of whom head to the UK to pursue their undergraduate studies. In recent years, trends suggest that a growing number of Malaysian students are interested in pursuing postgraduate studies in the UK. Currently, the number of postgraduate students accounts for about 15 per cent of the total number of Malaysian students in the UK.

Sarah Deverall, Director Malaysia at the British Council

"Postgraduate studies in the UK are more appealing as the duration of the programmes are relatively short. Most UK postgraduate degrees take only one year to complete, making the overall cost much more affordable compared to other countries," said Sarah Deverall, Director Malaysia at the British Council. "Malaysia is a key country for the five universities that have chosen to partner with the inaugural GREAT Scholarships 2019 - Malaysia. These universities have been welcoming Malaysian students to their campuses for years and they value the diversity and academic contribution that Malaysian students bring."

The GREAT Scholarships are only available for one-year postgraduate taught programmes in the UK for the 2018/19 academic year. Malaysian students intending to apply for the scholarships must have received an offer of entry from any of the five participating universities mentioned above and must satisfy all entry requirements for the chosen course as stated by the respective university.

For more information about the GREAT Scholarships 2019 - Malaysia, please visit:www.britishcouncil.my/study-uk/scholarships