A Malaysian influencer has explained why securing a perfect 4.0 CGPA in STPM examinations doesn’t automatically guarantee admission to one’s preferred university course, following public outcry over a student’s rejection from six universities.
Facebook user Khairul Azri addressed the case of Edward Wong, a Penang student who achieved excellent academic results but was ranked 1,129th among 2,291 eligible applicants for Universiti Malaya’s accounting programme, which only offered 85 seats.
In his viral social media post that garnered over 1,600 shares and 4,100 likes, Khairul emphasised that stellar grades alone don’t guarantee course selection in Malaysia’s highly competitive university admission system.
“Annual stories about high-performing students missing their first-choice courses generate public sympathy and sometimes anger. However, understanding the situation requires examining how university admissions actually operate,“ Khairul noted.
He highlighted that Wong’s subject combination of General Studies, Economics, Accounting, and ICT met minimum requirements but may not have been competitive enough for highly selective programmes.
According to Khairul’s analysis, matriculation students typically study subjects like Accounting, Economics, Mathematics, and Business Studies—combinations that align more closely with professional accounting programme requirements.
“Despite STPM and matriculation being equivalent pathways technically, specific subject combinations significantly influence course matching and merit evaluation. At UM, the Accounting programme receives thousands of applications annually for just 85 places, with many applicants achieving CGPAs between 3.8 and 4.0,“ he explained.
The educator argued that subjects like Mathematics and Business Studies carry more weight for accounting degrees than ICT or General Studies, even when not mandatory requirements.
Khairul stressed that Wong wasn’t denied university placement entirely, receiving an offer from Universiti Sains Malaysia for management studies—his fifth choice, demonstrating the system’s fairness.
“The admission system has always been transparent: receiving one of your selected options makes successful appeals for course transfers unlikely,“ he concluded.
The Higher Education Department (JPT) later confirmed that Wong ranked 1,129th among eligible applicants despite his perfect 4.0 CGPA and 99.9% co-curricular score.
