echo Edward Wong, a STPM (Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia) graduate from SMK Jit Sin in Bukit Mertajam, Penang recently went public with his predicament where as a top-scorer who achieved 4.0 CGPA and nearly 99.9 marks for his co-curriculars, failed to enter a public university of his choice.
Edward Wong (left) with Wee Ka Siong (right) at the MCA press conference on the 9th of September 2025. Image sourced by the South China Morning Post.
This topic is multi-faceted and is only recently publicly visible due to its political element. Let us examine this closer, objectively and with facts:
The Facts
The 20 year old STPM graduate first registered for enrolment through the Ministry of Higher Education’s registration system called UPU Online. UPU Online is a nationally centralised system for STPM, Matriks (Matriculation), Asasi (Foundation) and diploma students to enroll into undergraduate programmes at public universities. Students who utilise this system to register ranks their choices.
In the case of Edward Wong, during the first phase of registrations, he had applied to universities such as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) as his choices but weren’t offered an interview. During the second phase, he entered Universiti Malaya (UM) and several other universities as his desired choice but got no news as well.
Wong also explains that he discovered that UM had changed their requirements for their accounting programme during the second phase of registrations, which was what prompted him to input UM as a choice of his. However, all hopes were shattered for Wong as the results for registrations released on the 9th of September, where he was only offered to study management at USM, his fifth choice.
The Numbers
Edward Wong is not an isolated case of a high-achiever being denied their chances. Only a year ago, a similar 4.0 CGPA achiever was denied entry to 12 local degree programmes at several public universities. MCA Youth, alongside the party’s Education Consultative Committee Chairman Ong Che Siang questions UM on their admissions of students.
Ong brings up the fact that UM produces more than 160 graduates from their accounting programme every year whereas they only accept 85 students. As a response, UM vice-chancellor Noor Azuan Abu Osman clarified that the accounting programme has up to 160 places composed of: 85 from UPU, 28 from UM feeder programmes and 30-50 from SATU.
UM vice-chancellor Noor Azuan Abu Osman at the press conference on 10 September 2025. Image sourced by Universiti Malaya.
SATU is an alternative open channel for entry into UM, launched in 2018. It is detached from UPU and is exclusively for admissions into UM. Edward Wong told journalists at the press conference that he also applied via SATU into UM as early as July 23rd and was quickly accepted, a contrast to his UPU results. But here’s the catch: he will have to pay tuition fees of RM83,800 compared to RM8300 if he applied through UPU.
This is the main point of Wong’s dissatisfaction.
The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) held a press conference on the 10th of September reiterating the actual figures based on the case. The ministry highlights the centrality of meritocracy of the entire UPU system, and heavily rejects the narrative where the system is unfair.
Director-General of the Ministry of Higher Education Azlinda Azman (middle) at MoHE’s press conference on the 10th of September. Image sourced by JASON Update.
Below are the data released by the MoHE at the press conference concerning the number of applicants who are eligible, who have 100% merit, accepted applicants and the ranking of Edward Wong in comparison:
| University | Total Number of Eligible Applicants | Number of Applicants with 100% Merit | Places Offered | Edward Wong’s Ranking, in comparison |
| UM | 2291 | 1127 | 85 | 1129th |
| UPM | 4154 | 1718 | 100 | 1724th |
| UUM | 2295 | 1288 | 350 | 1288th |
| UTM | 2292 | 1062 | 55 | 1062nd |
The MoHE also discloses that the management programme offered to Edward Wong at USM, his fifth choice, also includes majors such as marketing, finance, business operations and so on.
The Real Question to be Raised
In the same press conference by UM vice-chancellor Noor Azuan Abu Osman, he said that for UM to maintain its ranking, the university would require more of the latest teaching equipment and internationally sourced staffbase. He further adds that the university had to find more “creative solutions” for this, which brings us to SATU.
The vice-chancellor previously claimed that the figures presented by MCA 2 months prior to the Edward Wong fiasco was ‘misleading’, and firmly stated that the number of students accepted through UPU had remained consistent over the years, and even increased in accordance with the higher education ministry’s projections. UM did not release any actual figures on the number of students accepted until a few days ago, after the fiasco.
In truth, both sides are affirming their own arguments, just in different and unclear ways. Yes, UM is indeed accepting 160 students in total, but MCA is also correct: UM is only accepting 85 students through UPU.
Now the real question to be raised is this: has the number of students accepted through UPU decreased since the introduction of SATU?
Echo cannot find any sources (only claims) about the actual number of students before and after the introduction of SATU in 2018. UM affirms their position that SATU allows the continuation (and even increased) acceptance of students from UPU, while MCA suggests the opposite.
In Conclusion
Education is still a contentious topic of our nation and it is not surprising for such news to snowball. The case of Edward Wong is only one tiny part of the major ongoing debate about our nation’s higher education system. While we acknowledge that politics is what drives public policy, we should not let it influence the very system that decides the future of our nation’s brightest. Whatever system we choose to adhere to, let us all view it from an objective point of view that fosters productive debate.
Written by: Sherman Yap
Edited by: Sarah Wong
