PUTRAJAYA: The existing minimum requirements for holders of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) seeking admission to medical degree programmes at private higher education institutions will remain unchanged, the Cabinet decided on Friday (Nov 13).
Government spokesperson and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said that this is in line with the decisions in place before the amendment.
He said this during a post-Cabinet meeting media briefing today here.
“The Cabinet meeting reached a decision to retain the existing minimum entry requirements for holders of the UEC seeking admission into medical degree programmes, in line with the requirements that were in place before the amendment.
“Therefore, UEC graduates who meet the minimum requirement of B4 in five prescribed subjects will remain eligible to apply for direct admission into medical degree programmes at private higher education institutions (IPTS).
“To ensure a smooth process, the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) will coordinate follow-up actions with the Higher Education Ministry.
“This is to ensure that everything proceeds smoothly, address any issues that may arise, and at the same time ensure that the standards and quality of the country's medical education, including at private higher education institutions, remain protected,” said Fahmi.
Currently, a UEC holder who wants to study medicine at any Malaysian public university (IPTA) needs to meet the SPM-based admission requirements. Currently, UEC alone is not an established qualification for direct entry into medicine at a public university.
The Higher Education Ministry clarified this in May 2026, stating that admission to critical programmes such as medicine will continue to be assessed based on SPM results, rather than UEC results alone.
However, UEC holders can study Medicine (MBBS or MD) at Malaysian private universities including through direct entry from UEC, provided they meet the MMC minimum requirements and the university's admission conditions.
According to the MMC guidelines effective from Oct 29, 2024, the minimum requirement for direct entry into a medical degree is B4 in each of five subjects: Biology,Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics / Advanced Mathematics I and Advanced Mathematics II / Advanced Mathematics.
