For university students, expenses can be a headache, especially when most do not yet have a source of income.

It therefore comes as no surprise that they hope for some relief in Budget 2016.

On top of the high cost of education, Universiti Malaya student Nurul Nadia Nabila M Arshad, 21, said lodging is also a pricey concern.

"Many students in UM face problems with housing because there is not enough of it, so they are forced to rent private property.

“That is on top of expensive education fees," she told Malaysiakini .

As such, Nurul Nadia said if the government can consider lowering the fees for public universities, this can help alleviate their financial burden.

University students in Malaysia were initially entitled to full education loans under the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) but this was last year reduced by 5 percent and 15 percent for public and private institutions, respectively, due to a lack of funds.

“Maybe asking for free education is impossible, but at least make it cheaper," she said.

Helpful ‘perks’ for scholars

Another UM student Nithiya Devi, 21, suggested that the 1Malaysia Book Voucher is allowed to be used as payment for university fees.

But you can get books from the library, so it would be more helpful if the 1Malaysia vouchers could be used to pay for fees instead," said the Media Studies student.

However, Nithiya said she was happy for the Kad Diskaun Siswa 1Malaysia - which gave students discount at selected restaurants and transportation rides - and hoped that it will continue.

Nadiah Khairil Anwar, 21, who is completing a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University Malaysia, hopes more scholarships can be made available in the next national budget.

“I think that it’s easy for someone to get a scholarship as long as they have connections, which is not fair to the rest of us who don’t have those connections.

“I also hope that institutions like Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) would be more transparent, because Mara says that they don’t give out loans but people who are connected to Mara have managed to get loans somehow," she lamented.

Muhammad Che Abdullah, a 24-year-old who studies engineering at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) hoped that those taking PTPTN loans will be allowed to defer repayment for a longer period.

At present, those who are under PTPTN loans can defer repayment up to 24 months if they cannot find work.

“Nowadays, it is difficult for a student to find work after graduating,” he said.