STRONG results in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination do not automatically secure entry into public universities, as Malaysia’s merit-based selection system places greater emphasis on a broader assessment of student suitability.
The issue has sparked widespread debate among students and parents, particularly on social media, following cases where candidates with seven A grades recorded lower merit scores than peers with fewer distinctions.
According to Mohd Syaubari Othman of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, university admissions rely on a merit system that combines 90 per cent academic performance with 10 per cent co-curricular achievement.
He said the system is often misunderstood as being based solely on the number of top grades, when in fact it evaluates both academic strength and overall student development.
“The merit system is divided into two main components, namely 90% academic marks and 10% co-curricular marks.
“Academic marks are calculated based on SPM results, with each grade assigned a specific value. For example, A+ is given the highest value, followed by A, A- and so on. These values are totalled and converted into a percentage.
“After that, co-curricular marks are added. These are obtained from students’ participation in activities such as clubs, sports, uniformed bodies and leadership roles in school,” he told Berita Harian.
He added that co-curricular scores typically range between seven and 10 per cent, but a more critical factor lies in subject weighting, particularly for specialised courses.
In fields such as STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — subjects including Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology carry greater significance in merit calculations.
This explains why students with fewer overall distinctions may outperform those with more A grades if they excel in key subjects relevant to their chosen field.
“This is why there are situations where a student with 4A and 4B can have a higher merit score than a student with 8A.
“If the student with 4A and 4B obtains A+ in critical subjects such as Additional Mathematics and Science, while the student with 8A only gets A or A- in those subjects, the merit system will consider the first student more suitable for that field,” he said.
He stressed that subject selection at school level plays a decisive role, as students who choose combinations aligned with their intended university courses are more likely to achieve higher merit scores.
“Therefore, what needs to be understood is that SPM merit does not merely measure general excellence, but evaluates a student’s suitability for their chosen field.
“Students must carefully plan their subject choices, focus on key subjects, and remain active in co-curricular activities to improve their chances of entering public universities,” he said.
Offering a complementary perspective, Mohd Firdaus Zakaria of Universiti Putra Malaysia suggested that gaps in public understanding may be contributing to the confusion.
He said many parents, students and even schools remain unfamiliar with the latest admissions methodologies, continuing to treat the number of A grades as the ultimate benchmark.
“The term merit can be simply interpreted as a scoring system for student selection based on a combination of two aspects, namely academic achievement and co-curricular achievement.
“The calculation of the 90 per cent academic merit for SPM leavers differs depending on the admission pathway and institution,” he said.
He noted that the UPU Online merit calculation is based on subject streams taken at SPM level, whereas matriculation programme assessments under the Ministry of Education are aligned with the specific field applied for.
As such, each discipline applies different merit criteria, making early awareness crucial for students when selecting their academic pathways.
“We no longer want to hear tragic stories such as STEM stream candidates not taking Additional Mathematics or not selecting subjects according to their stream, resulting in their merit calculation becoming too low.
“Parents, teachers and relevant government agencies must continuously disseminate up-to-date information on merit calculations to students,” he said.
He added that plans to consolidate pre-university application systems under the Ministry of Higher Education into a unified “single window and single offer” platform could mark a significant shift in admissions efficiency.
The proposed approach aims to better match candidates with available programmes based on merit and suitability, reducing mismatches and improving overall placement outcomes in public universities. - May 4, 2026
