KUALA LUMPUR: The sharp hike in Universiti Malaya's (UM) medical tuition fees risks shutting out academically qualified B40 students from pursuing degrees in medicine and other critical fields, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said the party is deeply concerned about recent developments in Malaysia's higher education landscape, especially policies that appear to marginalise children from low-income households.
He said these include the dual admission pathway at public universities and the rising costs associated with direct-entry programmes.
"It is disheartening to note that public universities are being seen as increasingly selective towards students from high-income families. This raises serious questions about the fairness of the meritocracy we claim to uphold," he said at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Tuesday (June 24).
He was referring to Universiti Malaya's recent fee structure, which shows that tuition fees for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme soared to RM500,000 for the 2025/2026 intake under the university's direct channel, known as Saluran Terbuka Universiti Malaya (Satu).
This marks a 67.1% jump from RM299,200 in the 2024/2025 session.
In stark contrast, students who secure a place via the UPU channel – the centralised government admission platform – are charged only RM15,000 for the same five-year programme, as their places are government subsidised, said Dr Wee.
He questioned whether such a drastic disparity in fees sends the wrong message to students from the B40 and M40 income brackets.
"Are we now saying that children from less privileged backgrounds do not deserve to become doctors or pursue critical fields? Is the medical profession now reserved exclusively for the wealthy?" he asked.
He warned that academic results alone may no longer guarantee a place at public universities if wealth becomes the new gatekeeper.
Referring to Universiti Malaya's annual reports, Dr Wee pointed out that enrolments through Satu have risen sharply – from just 142 in 2018 to 399 in 2022 – signalling a trend that prioritises financial capacity over academic merit.
Citing data from the Higher Education Ministry, he added that nearly 60% of applicants to public universities in 2022 came from B40 households.
"What kind of message are we sending to this majority? That unless you can pay half a million ringgit, you have no future in medicine?" he asked.
Dr Wee also echoed concerns raised by former Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor Professor Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah, who warned in December last year that the open or commercial channels for university entry could entrench systemic inequality.
Prof Haim had argued that such models risk marginalising STPM students and those without the financial means to self-fund their studies.
The tuition fees for the MBBS programme at Universiti Malaya are set to rise sharply from RM299,107 in 2023 and RM299,200 in 2024 to RM500,000 in 2025 – a 67.1% jump, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.3%.
Fees for related programmes are also increasing. The Bachelor of Biomedical Science sees a rise from RM102,919 in 2023 to RM103,000 in 2024, and RM136,800 in 2025. Similarly, the Bachelor of Nursing Science increases from RM112,237 in 2023 to RM112,300 in 2024, and RM136,800 in 2025.
Critics warn that these hikes will place public medical education out of reach for most STPM and matriculation students who are unable to secure places through UPU or lack financial means – effectively reserving medical seats for the wealthy.
