UEC Results Will Count For Admissions at UPM, UM And UPSI — But Only For These Four Courses

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Malaysian students from Chinese independent schools will be able to apply directly to selected public universities from 30 June, the Higher Education Ministry announced today (15 May), marking a quiet but notable shift in the country’s university admissions landscape.

The move opens a direct application pathway for graduates from non-national education systems — including religious schools, private schools and Chinese independent schools — who have sat the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

To qualify, applicants must have obtained a credit in Bahasa Melayu and a pass in History.

The pathway is limited in scope. Independent school students may apply for one of four Chinese-language courses at three public universities:

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) — Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Language Studies
Universiti Malaya (UM) — Bachelor of Chinese Language and Linguistics; Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) — Bachelor of Chinese Education

Director General of Higher Education in Malaysia, serving within the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Datuk Prof. Dr Azlinda Azman, confirmed that the ministry has no plans to expand the pathway to other courses for now, saying the focus remains on these four programmes.

Unified Exam Results Will Count

In a significant detail, Azrilinda said admissions for these four courses will consider results from both the SPM and the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) — the qualification sat by most Chinese independent school graduates.

While the UEC has long been a point of contention in Malaysian education policy, its formal consideration in public university admissions, even for a limited number of courses, marks a meaningful step.

Students admitted through this pathway will be treated the same as any other public university student, including receiving government tuition subsidies, Azrilinda confirmed.

If they are admitted, they are considered part of the mainstream pathway, which means these courses are government-funded.

Applications Will Be Handled Separately for Now

To avoid disrupting the ongoing UPU Online centralised admissions system, applications under this new pathway will be processed directly by each university.

From next year, the ministry intends to incorporate applicants from non-national education systems into UPU Online — the government’s centralised university admissions portal that processes the bulk of public university applications in Malaysia — under a separate category.

Admissions will be based on merit, available places, academic standards and interview assessments set by each university, said MOHE deputy secretary-general for policy Ahmad Riza.

If students meet the standard required to pass the interview, they will have to compete with other students — that is only fair to everyone.

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UEC Results Will Count For Admissions at UPM, UM And UPSI — But Only For These Four Courses