THE Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) stressed that the standards and quality of admission to Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) cannot be compromised, though the government has opened a special route for graduates of tahfiz institutions, private schools and Chinese independent high schools.
Director-General of Higher Education, Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman, said that all admission requirements will be determined by the respective universities through the evaluation of the university Senate without the intervention of any party.
“Actually, at the university level, we have our requirements. We have already examined them.
“Of course, at the Ministry of Higher Education, especially at universities, the Senate is the highest authority. After all, it is the university Senate that determines the quality and standards.
“We cannot compromise on that. No one can interfere,” she said at a press conference at the ministry's headquarters today.
She said this when commenting on criticism from the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), which claimed that the admission requirements set by the MOHE were still too high.
According to Azlinda, each university has its own criteria and evaluation mechanism based on the programs offered, including special requirements and interview processes.
She explained that the complete requirements will be announced when applications are opened directly to the universities involved, starting June 30.
She added that the admission of UEC and tahfiz graduates remains subject to meritocracy and basic requirements, including credit in Malay and passing History in SPM.
In this regard, the government is only opening access to higher education to students from outside the National Education System without compromising the integrity of the national education system. – May 15, 2026
