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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Breaking: UM Raises Entry Requirements - All Degree Courses Require Interview, CGPA 4.0 For Competitive Courses [Exclusive Interview]

Remember, you read this news first on Malaysia Students Blog. Malaysia Students Blog is the first to break the news that UM raises entry requirements before any other major newspapers in Malaysia. Malaysia Students Blog was also the first to report IPTAs change to summer break academic term, IPTA Deepavali break and other education news. Enter your email to subscribe so that you are the first to receive all upcoming & breaking education news!

Posted by WJ Chong

University of Malaya (UM) has set higher bar for entering into the most prestigious public university in Malaysia beginning 2013/2014 academic session. Starting this year, SPM & STPM result holders applying for admissions to UM are required to meet stricter standards to gain entrance. UM has revised by raising the specific entry requirements (syarat khas program) for all degree courses and foundation in science programme (Asasi Sains Universiti Malaya).

One of the significant updates to the minimum requirements of all bachelor's degree courses is every applicants needs to attend and pass compulsory interview at the university. While interview element was only applied for certain courses such as law, architecture and education-related programmes in the previous years, every UM courses now requires passing the university interview.

UM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International), Professor Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor
In an exclusive interview with UM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International), Professor Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor, Malaysia Students blog has learnt that the interview element is introduced as the entry requirement for all programmes this year to ensure that the quality of the undergraduates admitted align with the university's goal which is to be ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world by year 2015. This is also to take advantage of the autonomy status awarded by Higher Education Ministry to University of Malaya in 2012. The autonomy award would allow the university flexibility in finance, administration and academic matters which include choosing its own students.

"The interview assessment that will be carried out is an early initiative taken by UM to assess the communication skills and readiness level of the students, on top of serving as early exposure to them in terms of building self-confidence, professional appearance, communication and soft skills," Prof. Dr. Mohd Hamdi explained. "The main purpose of the interview is to ensure that students accepted into Universiti Malaya are those excellent in academics, can communicate well, and have high self-confidence and interest in the applied programme."

He added that the data collected during the interview process will be essential to UM in planning the new teaching and learning modules during the continuous revision and improvement of all academic programmes. The data will also aid UM in getting to know the level of students and planning strategies to prepare them as graduates who meet industry needs.

The interviews will be carried out by UM academic staffs and involves representatives from the faculty or academy offering the academic programme. The interview structure and medium of language used are decided based on the relevant requirements of the specific courses offered in order to identify the best candidates for each academic programme at University of Malaya.
University of Malaya (Universiti Malaya, UM)
Another major update is some competitive courses such as Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Pharmacy now require perfect Cummulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) score of 4.00/4.00. Previously, although the minimum CGPA score for these courses was not 4.00, almost all who were offered places for these courses did get perfect CGPA score in their STPM or Matriculation due to stiff competition for limited number of places. As a result, news reports of those with perfect CGPA score of 4.00 in STPM or Matriculation not being offered a place in these popular courses were not uncommon, especially during the university enrollment result announcement week.

The decision to set CGPA 4.0 as the minimum entry requirement to high-demand courses (MBBS, BDS and Pharmacy) was based on the research on the recent trend of candidate enrolment data for the past four academic sessions - 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 - where students admitted are from those STPM-result holders with PNGK 4.0. The rationale behind this decision is to avoid candidates who barely meet the minimum PNGK, as in previous years, putting all their hope on getting a place for these highly competitive courses. By setting PNGK 4.0 as the minimum requirement upfront, these students are encouraged to apply other courses instead of wasting their choices when filling up the online university application form.
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Comments
23 Comments

23 comments:

  1. Will other universities follow suit? Cos even UUM was given autonomy. I can foresee all universities require interview for all courses in the coming years!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. uitm dah lama buat, tak kecoh pun

    ReplyDelete
  3. Almost all of the courses at UM require minimum PNGK 3.00, some at PNGK 3.30 and a few at PNGK 3.50.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its for diploma or degree? Actually i want to know what is the entry requirements for degree of university of malaya.

      Delete
  4. would it be possible for me to get into their foundation programme if i've got only 5A and other 5credits?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very important information, thank you for sharing, I can think of some who need that.

    ReplyDelete
  6. most importantly no quota for the selection. we have to stop helping the weak ppl. if not they will continue to be weak

    ReplyDelete
  7. UNFAIR EDUCATION POLICY:

    FOUNDATION PROGRAMMES ('ASASI') AT UNIVERSITY MALAYA - ONLY RESERVED FOR BUMIPUTRAS.

    (1)The foundation programmes ('asasi') for SPM leavers at University of Malaya are reserved for bumiputras only except one programme, 'pengajian Islam'. This is very UNFAIR to other races. We should file a serious complaint to the Ministry of Education or any political parties to VOICE out this UNFAIR policy which has been around for many years. This is totally unacceptable in the spirit of 1Malaysia! If no concerned people or no concerned groups seriously voicing out this UNFAIR EDUCATION POLICY, change will NOT happen in order to have true equal rights to education for all Malaysians regardless of race, colour, religion, belief, creed, ethnicity and even disabilities.

    NOTE: Also foundation programmes ('asasi') at UIAM, UMS and UNIMAS also reserved for bumiputras only. This is also totally unacceptable in the spirit of 1Malaysia! Equal opportunity for education should be the right of all Malaysians!

    (2) There are other SPM leavers' foundation programmes for both bumis and non-bumis in other public universities in Malaysia but the sad thing is that there is still a quota system of 10% for non-bumis although last year MCA had requested to increase it to 20% for all courses at IPTA including the public matriculation course. What is the point of having the merit system when the quota system is still implemented for the benefit of one race instead of 1Malaysia.

    (3) On another matter, much have been said about the declining standard of English among our local public universities' graduates. By right, English should be used more in the medium of instruction so that graduates can communicate better in English and hence be more employable in the market. In addition to this, graduates need also to be trained to have better soft skills, true leadership with heart, spiritual, moral and true character education.

    NOTE: Please help circulate this to all concerned. Thank you.
    This comment is voiced out of concern for our country's education system and where are we heading in order to achieve our True Vision 2020 for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion. As Malaysians, we love all races based on our true 1Malaysia Culture! ~Dated this 30th March 2013~

    ReplyDelete
  8. STPM NEW ASSESSMENT SYSTEM:

    Started in the year 2012 for lower 6 form.
    STPM is much recognised worldwide including the National University of Singapore (now ranking 25th position in the QS World Top Universities Ranking 2012/2013).

    The subjects offered remain at 23 subjects which are General Studies (Pengajian Am), Business Studies (Pengajian Perniagaan), Malay Language (Bahasa Malaysia), Accounting (Perakaunan), Chinese Language (Bahasa Cina), Mathematics (S), Tamil Language (Bahasa Tamil), Mathematics (T), Arabic Language (Bahasa Arab), Further Mathematics T, Literature in English, Information and Communications Technology (Computing), Communicative Malay Literature (Kesusasteraan Melayu), Physics, Syariah, Chemistry, Usuluddin, Biology, History (Sejarah), Sports Science (Sains Sukan), Geography (Geografi), Visual Arts (Seni Visual) and Economics (Ekonomi).

    The curriculum is divided into three parts based on topic areas. Each part will be taught and studied in either the first, second or third term. The total duration of study is one-and-a-half years.

    Students’ assessments will be carried out each term with the results being released at the end of the term. The overall STPM results will be based on the best combined results of the three terms.

    Soft skills such as communication skills, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, information management and ethics are included in the new curriculum.

    There will be two forms of assessment: the School-Based Assessment (SBA) with a weighting of 20% to 40%, and the centralised examination with a weighting of 60% to 80% (the weighting varies according to subjects).

    READ MORE: http://www.malaysia-students.com/2012/06/stpm-new-assessment-system.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. SOURCE: London-based QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings Year 2012/2013.

    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the QS World University Rankings this year followed by Cambridge University and Harvard University.

    TOP 360 UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD BY RANKING ORDER.

    (1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
    (2) University of Cambridge, UK
    (3) Harvard University, US
    (4) University College London (UCL), UK
    (5) University of Oxford, UK
    (6) Imperial College London, UK
    (7) Yale University, US
    (23) University of Hong Kong
    (25) National University of Singapore (NUS)
    (30) University of Tokyo
    (47) Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
    (156) Universiti Malaya (UM)
    (261) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
    (326) Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
    (358) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
    (360) Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Star Online > Nation
    Friday June 29, 2012

    Do away with racial quotas in pre-U courses, says MCA

    By JOSEPH KAOS Jr
    [email protected]

    KUALA LUMPUR: Scrap racial quotas for entry into matriculation programmes and foundation courses for public universities, said MCA education bureau secretary Chong Sin Woon.

    “Since 2003, entry for non-bumiputras in matriculation programmes is set at 10%. As for asasi courses, many of them are only open to bumiputras. Of late, some asasi programmes are open to non-bumiputras but there is a quota on them,” he said.

    “The only pre-university programme for public universities that does not have a racial quota is Form Six. Because of this, many non-bumiputra students who cannot enrol for matriculation will go to private universities which are more expensive,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

    He said the MCA had no problem with Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) as part of affirmative action to help bumiputras.

    “But other public universities should not limit enrolment of non-bumis,” he said, adding that 185,022, or 36%, of public university students were from UiTM last year.

    The issue on quotas is one of several recommendations proposed by the MCA during a dialogue session on June 25 with the Education Ministry to improve the education system.

    The MCA had also raised the matter on the poor grasp of Bahasa Malaysia and English among Chinese school students.

    “While it is important that we protect the Chinese language, it is also crucial that students are competent in English and Malay,” he added.

    ReplyDelete
  11. April 4, 2013

    Double quota for non-bumi students, Govt urged

    KUALA LUMPUR: MCA Youth wants the Government to double the 10% quota for non-bumiputra students in matriculation programme.

    Its education bureau chairman Chong Sin Woon said the quote provided for non-bumiputra students was not enough.

    “It is just too little for too many,” he told a press conference at Wisma MCA yesterday.

    He said the bureau had received 892 appeals from students who did well in their SPM but had failed to be accepted into the programme.

    “I will forward the appeals to the Education Ministry’s Matriculation Division and discuss the matter with Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong,” he said.

    He also advised those who had failed to consider other alternatives, including entering Form Six.

    -The Star-

    ReplyDelete
  12. Race quotas, politics led to falling UM standards, says World Bank study

    READ MORE:
    http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/10/17/race-quotas-politics-led-to-falling-um-standards-says-world-bank-study/

    NOTE: Copy and paste the link above into your address browser and then hit your "enter" button of your keyboard in order to access it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. MCA’s Record on Education:
    Shameful and Pathetic!

    Koon Yew Yin
    The Malaysian Insider
    21st August 2012

    National Education: Bigger MCA Failing

    This national disgrace has one of its leading stake players the MCA which has held the Deputy Minister of Education portfolio for umpteen years. Can the MCA point to any educational innovation that it has introduced? Can the MCA point to any educational policy of merit, fairness, and tolerance that it has been responsible for since independence?

    Let’s take the system of government scholarships. During the last 40 years of the NEP, tens if not hundreds of thousands of parents of non-Bumiputera students with excellent SPM results have complained of discrimination when their children have been rejected in their applications for government scholarships. Only after the scholarship results are announced and there a public outcry do we see MCA politicians try to do damage control by jumping into the fray and go with a begging bowl to the PSD and other scholarship award authorities.

    The Chinese Deputy Minister of Education may be good at giving speeches to Chinese schools but when it comes to helping determine the course of national educational policy in key areas, his position is more like that of the office boy. I am writing about this from personal experience. I have given scholarships to more than 100 poor students. Some of them are really brilliant but they could not get Government scholarships. For example, Wan Pui Yee with 12 As in her SPM could not get a government scholarship.

    Let’s take another sore point in education. The establishment of the matriculation college system has discriminated against the deserving non-Bumiputeras. Malaysian public universities offer a one-year matriculation programme.
    These courses have largely catered to the Bumiputera population and are deemed as having a much lower standard, qualifying criteria and final examination requirement for entry into university. This situation is in contrast to that which non-Bumiputera students face as they are required to sit for the much tougher two-year STPM in Form 6. Thus there exist two parallel tracks for students wishing to enter local universities, one with an easier syllabus and lower entry requirement, the other requiring higher level of achievement. Now how did this system come about if the MCA has not been a willing accessory to the educational crime!

    The unwritten rule that the Bumiputera should be given opportunities at the expense of the non-Bumiputera destroys social cohesion and quality human resource development. It is an inferior and morally unacceptable form of educational investment which the MCA has been a party to.

    A Fair National Policy: What has MCA Done?

    Many Malaysians, including myself, fully support the policy that attention should be given to the educational needs of the underprivileged in society, with appropriate consideration and greater weight to those in the poorer rural-based Bumiputera (Malays and non-Malay Bumiputera) community. However, the needs of deserving non-Malays should also be treated fairly and equally.

    The policy which I practice in my charitable work is that scholarships should be awarded to the deserving from all communities.

    Information on awards should be publicly disclosed and widely disseminated. In contrast the government’s scholarship policy tacitly endorsed by the MCA has been indiscriminately applied to favour one community. Without proper checks and balances, it has had and continues to have a crippling effect on Malaysian parents and their children. But I suspect MCA leaders whose children are not in the national system are immune to this and other flaws in our education system.

    ReplyDelete
  14. MCA’s RECORD ON EDUCATION:
    Very Shameful and Pathetic!!! -Koon Yew Yin

    READ MORE by copy & paste this link:
    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/mcas-record-on-education-shameful-and-pathetic-koon-yew-yin/

    ReplyDelete
  15. ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
    TOP 5 UNIVERSITIES IN MALAYSIA 2012/2013
    ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    (1)Universiti Malaya(UM)
    (2)Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia(UKM)
    (3)Universiti Sains Malaysia(USM)
    (4)Universiti Teknologi Malaysia(UTM)
    (5)Universiti Putra Malaysia(UPM)

    NOTE: To be offered a place in the above top universities especially demanding courses, one needs to have at least a CGPA 3.5 to be able to better compete with others but still there is no guarantee.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Alarming declining standard of English Language
    in our Malaysian public schools and universities.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    All Malaysian public universities and even polytechnics in Malaysia should raise their standard of English Language so that their graduates are more employable! The declining standard of English among Malaysian students in public schools and universities is not only alarming but truly reflect the one-sided way we manage our national education system and policies.

    If possible, make English a compulsory pass with a credit at SPM and also make English a medium of instruction in all higher institutions of higher learning.

    ReplyDelete
  17. We are NOT talking about politics but EDUCATION for all Malaysians.
    *******************************************************
    We should also VOICE OUT STRONGLY on WHY all the foundation ("asasi") courses for SPM leavers at the following universities are 100% reserved only for bumiputras. This is absolutely unacceptable and a gross unfairness to other Malaysians.
    (1) UM - Universiti Malaya
    (2) UIAM - Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia
    (3) UMIMAS - Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
    (4) UMS - Universiti Malaysia Sabah
    (5) USIM - Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

    Furthermore, the quota system in our public matriculation colleges and most public universities in Malaysia for other Malaysians is still being practised - meaning in general, there is 10% for non-bumi and 90% for bumi.

    Although the word meritocracy is mentioned, the non-bumi are in fact competing among themselves for the 10% and not competing with the bumi who are in the 90% and this means the bumi only compete among the bumi for the 90%. The 10% and 90% quota truly makes the meritocracy system, no merit at all because of the division.

    The quota system should be abolished as education is the right of all Malaysians. It should not be based on race and politics. Instead a true meritocracy system should be implemented to uphold the true meaning of 1Malaysia! We must be reminded that there are also low and middle income groups in other Malaysians and not just among the bumi. There are many other Malaysians who could not afford to send their children to private universities and colleges as the overall cost of the private education is expensive!

    ReplyDelete
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