The recent controversy over the rejection of a top student’s university applications has sparked debate about entry requirements for Accounting programmes in Malaysia.
Edward Wong Yi Xian, 20, scored a perfect 4.0 CGPA and a total merit score of 99.9%, yet his applications to six public universities, including UM, were rejected.
The Higher Education Ministry later revealed UM’s Accounting programme had 2,291 eligible applicants this year, with 1,127 scoring a full 100% merit.
Many netizens speculated the rejection was due to Wong not taking STPM Mathematics, assuming it was an entry requirement.
STPM Mathematics is not an entry requirement
Looking at the standards published by the MQA, there is no mention of STPM Mathematics as an entry requirement. The only requirement is for Mathematics at the SPM level.
For admission into UM’s Accounting programme, applicants only need to obtain at least a Grade B in Mathematics or Additional Mathematics at the SPM level.
According to the admission guidelines published on their websites, STPM Mathematics is also not listed as an entry requirement for Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
This confirms that STPM Mathematics is not an entry requirement for admission to Accounting, Finance, or Economics degree programmes at public universities in Malaysia.
