LONDON: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) will cease sending sponsored students to the United States starting this year, following the introduction of new policies under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said discussions have already begun to explore alternative destinations with students in pre-university programmes previously bound for the U.S.
“We’ll redirect them to countries offering similar academic programmes, such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, as well as Japan and China. These alternatives are also more cost-effective,” he said.
He was speaking at a press conference during a working visit to the United Kingdom, where he is holding strategic meetings with senior academics and top management of the University of Cambridge.
The meeting aimed to explore potential MARA-Cambridge collaborations to elevate the quality of education and strengthen the nation’s human capital development.
Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi said MARA is also currently engaging with its 266 sponsored students in the U.S. to facilitate their transfer to other countries offering similar fields of study.
These include disciplines such as computer science, engineering, and high-tech areas like robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).
“With the recent policy changes introduced by President Trump, we are taking a serious look at the potential impact on our students there, including rising living costs and academic disruptions,” he said.
International media previously reported that the Trump administration had issued a directive to halt the processing of all student visas and was considering vetting new applicants based on their social media activity.
