KUALA LUMPUR, August 1 – The Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) has announced the opening of admission applications for Public Universities (UA), Polytechnics, Community Colleges (KK), and Public Skills Training Institutions (ILKA) for the academic session 2023/2024 for SPM graduates. The admission process for these institutions is based on the principle of meritocracy, where eligible candidates are ranked according to their merit score, regardless of factors such as race, religion, gender, state, standard of living, and place of residence.
The merit score is determined by academic achievement, which accounts for 90% of the score, and co-curricular achievement, which accounts for 10%. A total of 500 study programs are being offered for this session, including 143 Certificate programs, 47 Foundation programs, 309 Diploma programs, and 1 Bachelor’s Degree program. To be considered for admission, candidates must submit their applications through the UPUOnline® portal at https://upu.mohe.gov.my/.
The ministry has received a total of 239,609 UPUOnline® applications from SPM graduates, representing a slight increase of 1.03% compared to the previous session. Out of the total applications received, 144,911 candidates have been offered places to continue their studies, resulting in a success rate of 60.9%. Among the successful candidates, 79,668 have received offers from UA, while 65,243 have been offered places at Politeknik, KK, and ILKA, which focus on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs.
The offers have been extended to a diverse group of candidates, with 61,286 males and 83,625 females securing places. The success rate for male candidates is 61.7%, slightly higher than the 60.4% success rate for female candidates. In addition, special route offers have been provided to 14,619 candidates, including 13,649 offers for Category B40, 346 offers for Persons with Disabilities (OKU), 335 offers for athletes, and 289 offers for Orang Asli.
Furthermore, 26 graduate candidates from institutions under the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) have also received offers. The successful candidates include a majority of Malay candidates, Sabah natives, Sarawak natives, and Orang Asli, totaling 130,819 (62.6%) out of the eligible candidates. Chinese candidates comprise 5,477 (52.4%) of the eligible candidates, while Indian and other candidates make up 8,615 (46.5%) of the eligible candidates.
Candidates who did not receive offers may have been unable to meet the General Conditions and/or Special Conditions of the study programs, encountered a lack of vacancies, failed the screening interview/test for programs with specific requirements, or obtained a lower merit position. It should be noted that a total of 164,028 out of 403,637 SPM 2022 candidates did not apply for UPUOnline® due to various reasons, such as receiving offers to continue their studies at BMKPM Matriculation College, IPGM, Form 6, Private Higher Education Institutions (IPTS), or studying abroad, or receiving scholarship offers from the Public Service Department (JPA) or the People’s Trust Council (MARA).
The Ministry congratulates all successful candidates and encourages them to make the most of the opportunity to pursue higher education. As part of its commitment to providing equal opportunities, the ministry has opened a second chance channel for appeals through the UPUOnline® portal, which will be available from July 7, 2023, at 12:00 noon until July 16, 2023, at 5:00 pm.
