The higher education department (JPT) has clarified why an STPM top scorer from Penang did not secure a place in Universiti Malaya’s accountancy course under the government’s Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU) pathway.
JPT said Edward Wong, who achieved a perfect 4.0 CGPA and scored 99.9% for co-curricular activities, was ranked 1,129th among 2,291 eligible applicants for UM, while only 85 places for accountancy were available in his top choice university this year.
It said Wong was instead offered a place in a Bachelor of Management with Honours programme at a leading research university, his fifth choice.
JPT also provided his rankings in other public universities: Universiti Putra Malaysia (1,724/4,154, 100 seats), Universiti Utara Malaysia (1,288/2,595, 350 seats), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (1,062/2,292, 55 seats).
“Accordingly, the candidate was offered a place based on merit and programme choices, just like all other applicants,” the department said in a statement.
JPT said that all UPUOnline decisions were system-generated based on merit scores for each course, dismissing claims of flaws or gaps in the system.
“At the same time, JPT remains open to feedback and suggestions on ways to improve the existing system,” it said.
Wong’s case gained public attention after MCA president Wee Ka Siong raised it at a press conference where he called the centralised UPU admission process “flawed” and “unfair”.
He noted that Wong was later accepted into the same UM accountancy course through open intake, but the fee of RM83,800 was nearly 10 times higher than the RM8,300 UPU-subsidised route.
JPT also said it had fulfilled its pledge to place all STPM students with a 4.0 CGPA in public universities.
It said of the 1,255 applicants with perfect scores, 1,249 had been placed in universities, with six more waiting for final paperwork.
“The UPUOnline appeal consultation counter is open for candidates seeking further information, including those who were unsuccessful. It is located at the atrium of the higher education ministry, Putrajaya, until Sept 12,” it added.
