Kuala lumpur: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has resumed sending medical students to Al-Azhar University in Egypt after the programme was discontinued in 2019, with 78 students forming the first intake this year.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki stated that the decision to send the students was made after obtaining Cabinet approval. The total cost for each student, including accommodation for the five-year course, is estimated at RM350,000. The cost was reduced following a 50 per cent discount offered by Al-Azhar University, making it significantly lower than the cost of pursuing medicine locally, which could reach between RM700,000 and RM800,000 per student.

"This is the first group we are sending through the medical programme following approval by the Cabinet. I would like to thank the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) for agreeing to allow us to send this first group," Asyraf Wajdi told reporters after the 2026 Premier MARA-Sponsored Overseas Students Pre-Departure Programme.

Asyraf Wajdi also mentioned that 600 students who had completed their studies at MARA preparatory centres would depart for overseas destinations in stages beginning next week. These students are from Kolej MARA Seremban, Negeri Sembilan; Kolej MARA Banting, Selangor; and Kolej MARA Kuala Nerang, Kedah, and they will pursue their studies in several countries, including New Zealand, Canada, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Egypt.

Meanwhile, MARA stated that 11 of its 600 sponsored students had secured places at Imperial College London for this year's academic session. Furthermore, 40 students sponsored by the agency had secured places at universities ranked among the world's top 10, while 107 students had been accepted into universities ranked among the world's top 20.