KUALA LUMPUR: Admission through the central university system UPUOnline is entirely merit-based and does not favour STPM, matriculation, or foundation students, says Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
He said the ministry’s intake policy via UPUOnline uses a merit formula, with 90% weightage for academic results and 10% for co-curricular activities.
“This merit principle is applied fairly, transparently, and systematically throughout the entire admission process – from application, processing, and selection to the announcement of offers and appeals.
All qualified candidates with the highest merit scores, regardless of race, religion, state, socio-economic background, or location, are given the opportunity to study at public universities (IPTA) and Mara Higher Education Division (Mara BPT),” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Mustapha emphasised that the same rules apply to all pathways.
“Under UPUOnline, opportunities are equal. There is no special preference for STPM, matriculation, or foundation leavers,” he said.
He explained that the selection criteria consider examination results, co-curricular achievements, subject combinations relevant to the chosen programme, grades used for academic scoring, compliance with general and specific entry requirements set by universities and Mara BPT, performance in interviews or tests where required, the order of programme choices, and the number of available places.
To reduce complaints from high-achieving students who miss out on their preferred courses, he advised applicants to carefully check the general and specific entry requirements for each programme in the online guide (e-Panduan) before submitting choices.
He also highlighted features built into the system to aid decision-making, including a filter showing only programmes for which candidates meet the minimum requirements, and a merit calculator for SPM and STPM/equivalent leavers to calculate scores accurately.
“The merit calculator allows candidates to see which programmes match their scores. It also shows the average merit score for each programme over the past two admission years, helping applicants assess the competitiveness of a course,” he said.
UPUOnline has been further upgraded from the 2025/2026 academic session to display application and offer statistics for the past two years across SPM, STPM, matriculation, and foundation categories, giving applicants a clearer picture of demand and trends.
