PETALING JAYA: Admission to public universities is based on meritocracy, with 90% from academic achievement and 10% from co-curricular achievements, according to the Higher Education Ministry.
However, interest groups challenge this claim, citing the case of a top student offered a place at Universiti Malaya (UM) via the costly open admission system but later got rejected under the cheaper merit-based UPUonline system.
The Higher Education Ministry said that out of 1,255 Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) candidates with a CGPA of 4.00, 1,249 have been offered places, with six more to be offered once the required documentation is completed.
It also said 78,883 candidates from various qualification backgrounds have secured university placements.
According to the ministry, the top STPM scorer who complained through an MP has been offered a place to take up Bachelor of Management course with honours (Strategy & Organisation/Marketing/Finance/Operations/International Business/Islamic Finance/Business Analytics).
The candidate scored a CGPA of 4.00 in STPM and achieved a co-curricular score of 9.90, giving him a merit score of 99.90%, it said in a statement yesterday.
“His ranking for the accounting programmes applied were: UM – 2,291 eligible applicants, with 1,127 achieving 100% merit. The candidate ranked 1,129th, while UM offered 85 places.
“Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) – 4,154 eligible applicants, with 1,718 achieving 100% merit. The candidate ranked 1,724th. UPM offered 100 places.
“Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) – 2,595 eligible applicants, with 1,282 achieving 100% merit. The candidate ranked 1,288th. UUM offered 350 places.
“Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) – 2,292 eligible applicants, with 1,060 achieving 100% merit. The candidate ranked 1,062nd with UTM offering 55 places.”
The ministry gave an assurance that all STPM, or equivalent, students who applied to pursue studies at public universities with a CGPA of 4.00 will be given a placement and the UPUonline appeal consultation counter is open for candidates seeking further information until Sept 12, 2025, it said.
On Sept 8, STPM student Edward Wong Yi Xian, who achieved a perfect CGPA of 4.0 and a near-perfect 99.9% overall merit score, claimed he was rejected by UM to do an accounting course.
He raised his grievances to MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong after all six of his applications to public universities via UPU – including UM, UKM, UPM, and USM – were rejected without an interview. He was instead offered a place in a management course at USM, his fifth choice.
Yesterday, MCA vice president Datuk Tan Teik Cheng questioned Wong’s eligibility under the full payment system but not the UPU system, urging a review of admission procedures for transparency and fairness.
Public universities, he said, must not divert from its vital mission of nurturing future leaders through fair and equitable access to education.
“We encourage the relevant authorities to review the admission procedures to ensure they remain transparent and merit- driven,” added Tan.
On July 23, Dr Wee said it was ironic that Wong was offered to study accounting at UM under the open admission channel, but with the tuition fees of RM83,800 compared with about RM8,000 under UPU.
Dr Wee said Wong should have been admitted under UPU with his 99.99% overall score, and the Saluran Terbuka Universiti Awam (Satu) or open admission channel, which operates as a commercial pathway, was unfair to students from lower and middle income families.
The UM Association of New Youth (Umany) said it stands in solidarity with Wong, adding that the fact that he received a direct intake offer proves that he meets the qualifications for the programme.
Umany also said it has launched a complaint platform to support students who are facing a similar predicament as Wong.
