STPM Grad Rejected For Accounting Course By 6 Public Unis Despite Near-Perfect Results

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Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) top scorer Edward Wong Yi Xian has expressed his disappointment after being rejected by six public universities for their Accounting programme

In a press conference held by MCA yesterday, 8 September, Wong shared that he completed STPM with a perfect 4.0 CGPA, scoring straight A's in all subjects and 9.9 out of 10 for co-curricular activities. His results earned him a total merit score of 99.9%.

Through Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU), he applied to six public universities, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

All six denied him a placing in their Accounting programmes, but he was accepted into USM's Management programme, which was his fifth choice.

"When I entered Form Six, I had only one dream: to be accepted into UM's Accounting programme.

"I poured in all my energy, time and effort, fighting through the most challenging syllabus in the country. I never gave up because I believed that if we gave our all, the results would come," he said.

Wong explained that he did not initially apply to UM as the university required applicants to pass three out of four core subjects

When the university later revised the requirement to two core subjects, which he had met with Accounting and Economics, his new application was still rejected.

According to UM's website, applicants for the Bachelor of Accounting programme must obtain at least two B's in their STPM subjects.

Wong achieved a CGPA of 4.0 in General Studies, Economics, Accounting, and Information and Communication Technology.

Adding to his frustration, he said several peers with slightly lower scores were admitted to UM, even if not into their preferred courses.

"So I must ask, not only for myself – how far must we go to chase our dreams? How much must we struggle just to have the right to choose? Is our hard work not valued?" Wong asked.

His father, Wong Hooi Yik, 48, said his son's near-perfect results should have earned him fair consideration. The family is still holding on to hope as the appeal window remains open until 14 September.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, 6 September, Wong questioned the future of STPM graduates, saying, "If even a near-perfect student can be sidelined, what hope is left for the rest?"

Wong described STPM as one of the most challenging academic pathways, noting that it is equivalent to A-Levels and demands not only mastery of the syllabus, but also mental, physical, and emotional endurance.

He said students often pull late nights, repeatedly rewrite essays, and push themselves beyond their limits, driven by the belief that Malaysia would ultimately reward their hard work.

Speaking at the press conference, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said Wong's predicament exposes serious flaws in the university admission system

Wee explained that though Wong's application through the UPU system was rejected, the student was later accepted into UM's Accounting course via Saluran Terbuka Universiti Awam (SATU).

This would mean that Wong would have to pay tuition fees of RM83,800 instead of RM8,000 under the UPU system.

"Why is an excellent student like Edward only offered admission through the open channel? Why not through the UPU?

"At the same time, he also received an offer from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for Management, when his choice was Accounting. Why did this happen?" Wee said in a Facebook post.

The Star quoted him as saying that he will discuss the matter with Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, and seek further clarification from UM.

SAYS has reached out to UPU and six public universities for comments but has yet to receive a response.