New £5 million scholarship programme to support Malaysian students at LSE
A new £5 million philanthropic commitment from Malaysia-based multinational YTL Corporation Berhad will establish the YTL Malaysian Scholarship Programme at LSE, creating life-changing opportunities for generations of Malaysian students over the next 20 years. The commitment was facilitated by YTL’s Executive Chairman, Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh PSM, KBE.
The inaugural cohort of YTL Scholars joined LSE in September and includes nine students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across nine departments throughout the School. Beyond the opportunities it will create for individual scholars, the YTL Malaysian Scholarship Programme at LSE's flexible design and 20-year longevity will help build a diverse community of Scholars united by shared experience and a lasting connection to LSE and to one another.
Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh PSM, KBE, Executive Chairman YTL Corporation Berhad said: "The future of a nation is nurtured in the minds and hearts of its young people. By investing in capable and passionate students today, we sow the seeds of a Malaysia whose progress is guided by wisdom, whose prosperity is shared, and whose leadership is worthy of the trust of its people. At a time when outstanding leaders are increasingly scarce and the moral compass of public life appears increasingly adrift, education must cultivate character alongside intellect, conscience alongside ambition, and a sense of duty alongside the pursuit of success."
Commenting on this incredibly generous gift Professor Larry Kramer, LSE President and Vice Chancellor said: "Tan Sri (Sir) Francis’s dedication to improving the lives of others – through his work, his philanthropy and his warm and generous spirit – is inspirational. We share his belief that an investment in education is an investment in the future potential of our society. Empowering future generations to create, innovate, and lead offers our best path to a better world ahead."
Strengthening a thriving Malaysian community at LSE
Tan Sri (Sir) Francis’s commitment reflects and amplifies the important contribution Malaysian students make to life at LSE. In 2025/26, there were more than 250 Malaysian students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the School, placing it among the 10 nationalities with the largest representation on campus. The generosity of YTL and Tan Sri (Sir) Francis will help enrich our campus with even more bright, driven and creative Malaysian students in the years ahead.
This philanthropic partnership builds on a history of positive collaboration between LSE and Malaysian partners, one which spans generations of students, School leaders, alumni and institutional collaborations.
Today, Malaysia is home to more than 2,800 LSE alumni – among them are several of the nation’s civic and business leaders including Rebekah Yeoh (BSc Economics 2013), daughter of Tan Sri (Sir) Francis and YTL’s Corporate Finance Director. The YTL Malaysian Scholarship Programme at LSE will help further expand this thriving alumni community by creating new pathways for Malaysian students to come to LSE and return equipped with new perspectives, skills and insight.
Tan Sri (Sir) Francis’s gift also continues a strong tradition of philanthropic impact at LSE by our generous community of Malaysian alumni, friends and partners. The School’s Malaysia Auditorium, located in the Centre Building in the heart of campus, was opened in 2025 and is named in honour of the generous contributions of the Malaysian alumni who came together to support the space.
Speaking specifically about LSE and why he has chosen to created this scholarship programme at the School, Tan Sri (Sir) Francis commented: "I hold the London School of Economics and Political Science in deep admiration - as an institution that inspires rigorous inquiry into the forces shaping our world and the possibilities for improving it. It is a privilege to partner with LSE to open doors for Malaysian students whose talents and aspirations might otherwise remain unfulfilled."
My heartfelt prayer is that LSE will provide the leaven that helps raise a generation of outstanding Malaysian leaders: men and women with a strong moral compass, the humility to listen, the wisdom to discern, and the ability to forge thoughtful and lasting solutions to the increasingly complex economic and political challenges of our time. May they return equipped to serve in business, government and society, and determined to place their gifts at the service of others. For the finest fruit of education is a life that enriches other lives—and a generation that leaves its nation better than it found it.
About the donor
The YTL Malaysian Scholarship Programme at LSE is the latest instance of Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh PSM, KBE, and YTL’s long history of support for scholarships. The Yeoh family’s philanthropy has created opportunities for hundreds of Malaysian students at home and abroad over the past 30 years, including many studying at universities throughout the UK.
This generosity, alongside YTL’s long history of mutually beneficial investment in the country and efforts to strengthen UK-Malaysian economic ties, led to Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh being awarded an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006, followed by becoming an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 2019.