KUALA LUMPUR: More than 99% of Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) top scorers were able to get into their first choice course at public universities over the last five years, says Adam Adli Abdul Halim.
The Deputy Higher Education Minister said a total of 5,158 STPM graduates obtained a perfect 4.0 CGPA, with 5,149 (99.83%) receiving offers for their first choice courses at public universities.
“There will be excellent candidates with CGPA 4.0 that do not obtain a place for their first choice.
“However, they will still be offered a place in public universities based on the 12 programme choices applied through the UPUOnline system,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during Ministry Question Time on Monday (July 13).
He said STPM arts stream students made up the bulk of the applications with 4,636 students applying between 2021 and 2026, and 4,629 receiving offers.
This includes Academic session 2021/2022 (648 candidates apply and 644 received offers), session 2023/2024 (1,031 candidates applied and 1,029 received offers), session 2024/2025 (1,010 candidates applied and 1,009 received offers).
Meanwhile, Academic session 2022/2023 and session 2025/2026 saw 763, and 1,184 art stream students apply respectively with all students having received offers.
STPM science stream students consisted of 522 applicants during the same period with 520 receiving offers.
Science stream students in the Academic session 2022/2023 and 2024/2025 saw 114, and 97 students applied with only one student from each year not receiving their first choice offers.
Those applying in the Academic session 2021/2022 (92), 2023/2024 (148), and 2025/2026 (71) all received offers from their first choice courses and universities.
Adam said the applications were made through UPUOnline where students could make choices of the field they wish to study at the higher education level.
“However their success in obtaining a place in public universities is subject to academic achievement, merit position, fulfilling general and special conditions set.
“This includes the number of places currently available as well as passing the interview and/or test for study programmes that set such requirements,” he added.
Adam was responding to a question from Chow Yu Hui (PH-Raub) on the total number of STPM candidates with a CGPA of 4.00 by stream for the past half decade and on the current policy for such students to get their first, second or third choice of course at public universities in guaranteed.
