Adam Adli: Public university admissions based on merit, no ‘backdoors’ for UEC holders

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has reaffirmed that admissions to public universities are based on established criteria and merit in accordance with the national education system and are not influenced by political considerations or backdoor channels.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim said there are no special pathways or relaxed entry requirements for admission to public universities, including for holders of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

Adam Adli said the government has never stated that UEC holders would be granted automatic admission to public universities solely on the basis of that qualification.

“We have never said that the involvement or acceptance of UEC (holders) is based entirely on that single system. On the contrary, it must align with the existing national education system, not any external framework.

“University admission has never been dictated by political sentiments or personal preferences. There are specific criteria and merit eligibility that must be adhered to, particularly those grounded in our education system,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) regarding the admission of UEC holders into public universities.

Meanwhile, Adam Adli said 873,765 Malaysians have graduated from higher education institutions, including public universities, polytechnics, community colleges and private higher education institutions, over the past three years.

He said, based on official data from the Graduate Tracer Study (SKPG), graduate placement trends have shown positive growth, particularly in high-skilled employment.

“The graduate employment rate continues to demonstrate positive development, rising from 90.9 per cent in 2023 to 92.5 per cent in 2024. We are also seeing an upward trajectory in terms of job quality.

“The percentage of first-degree graduates earning between RM3,001 and RM4,000 increased from 22.7 per cent in 2024 to 23.8 per cent in 2025,” he said.

He added that the percentage of diploma holders and above employed in skilled professions increased to 72.1 per cent in 2025, compared to 68.3 per cent in 2023. — Bernama