A top Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) scorer has expressed heartbreak after being rejected by six public universities, for their Bachelor of Accounting programmes despite near-perfect results.
Edward Wong Yi Xian, 20, from Bukit Mertajam, scored a 4.0 CGPA, straight A’s in all subjects, and 9.9 out of 10 in co-curricular activities, giving him a total merit score of 99.9%.
Yet his applications through the Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU) to UM, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) were all rejected for Accounting without even an interview.
Instead, USM offered him a place in Management, his fifth-choice course.
“How far must we go to chase our dreams?”
Speaking at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Sept 8, Wong said he dedicated two years of his life to STPM — considered one of Malaysia’s toughest academic pathways, equivalent to A-Levels — believing that academic excellence would open doors.
When I entered Form Six, I had only one dream: to study Accounting at UM. I poured in all my energy, time, and effort because I believed hard work would be rewarded,” he said.
Wong explained he didn’t apply to UM initially as it required passes in three core subjects. When UM later revised this to two — which he had met with Accounting and Economics — he reapplied but was still rejected.
Adding to his frustration, peers with lower scores were admitted to UM, though not in their preferred courses, leaving them little choice but to compromise.
Costly offer under “commercial pathway”
Wong’s father, Wong Hooi Yik, 48, who works in the semiconductor industry, said his son’s near-perfect score should have guaranteed fair treatment.
Adding insult to injury, UM offered Wong a place in its Accounting course on July 23 under the Saluran Terbuka Universiti Awam (SATU) or open admission channel — but with tuition fees of RM83,800, over 10 times the RM8,000 he would have paid under UPU.
This makes no sense. He was rejected under UPU despite scoring 99.9%, yet offered the same course under SATU with exorbitant fees. What is the point of UPU then?” asked MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who highlighted the case.
Wee criticized SATU as a “commercial pathway” that disadvantages students from lower- and middle-income families, calling the system “toxic” and urging the government to treat top scorers fairly across science, arts, and commerce streams.
Calls for reform
Wee said he would raise the matter with Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and seek answers from UM on why Wong was rejected via UPU but accepted under SATU.
The government must not allow such unfair practices to persist. Confidence in the university admission process must be restored,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Wong’s family is awaiting the outcome of his appeal, which remains open until Sept 14.
MOE’s response
According to BFM, the Higher Education Ministry clarified that Universiti Malaya (UM) had received 2,291 eligible applicants for its Accounting programme, with 1,127 scoring 100% merit.
Despite his 4.0 CGPA and 99.9% merit, top scorer Edward Wong ranked 1129th in UM’s list, the ministry revealed.
Similar rankings were provided for other universities where Wong was rejected:
- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM): 1,724 out of 4,154 applicants (100 spots available)
- Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM): 1,288 out of 2,595 applicants (350 spots available)
- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM): 1,062 out of 2,292 applicants (55 spots available)
Accordingly, the candidate was offered a place based on merit and programme choices, just like all other applicants,” the ministry said, noting that Wong had been placed in the Bachelor of Management with Honours programme at USM, his fifth choice.
The ministry added that it had fulfilled its pledge to place all STPM students with a 4.0 CGPA in public universities, with 1,249 out of 1,255 already placed and six pending final paperwork.
