Kuala Lumpur, June 30 - The 1,500 scholarships given to Malaysians to pursue degree courses overseas this year were allocated under four categories.

For the first category, 300 scholarships were given based on merit, with bumiputras getting 20% and non-bumiputras receiving 80%, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Fifty-nine bumiputras, 209 Chinese, 30 Indians and two others receive scholarships in this category, he said in his reply on behalf of the department, on points raised in Parliament Wednesday over the the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Under the 900 scholarships awarded based on racial composition, Nazri said 557 were given to bumiputras, with 480 Malays, 74 East Malaysians and three others benefitting.

In the non-Muslim category where 343 scholarships were given out, 247 went to Chinese, 88 to Indians and eight to others, he added.

For the third category, which was for East Malaysia, Nazri said 75 went to Sarawak and 75 went to Sabah.

For the fourth category, where scholarships were given based on grounds of social disadvantage, Nazri said 77 went to bumiputras (73 Malays and four from Sabah and Sarawak), 35 to Chinese, 18 to Indians and two others.

-- The Star