The matriculation programme is accepted only for admission into public varsities in Malaysia.



Malaysia’s education bureau has called for the government to end racial quotas for programs and foundation courses at public universities in the country, in a move that they say has long been in the works.

Since 2003, entry for non-bumiputras in matriculation programs is set at 10 percent. As for asasi courses, many of them are only open to bumiputras. Of late, some asasi programs are open to non-bumiputras but there is a quota on them.

The only pre-university program for public universities that does not have a racial quota is Form Six. Because of this, many non-bumiputra students who cannot enroll for matriculation will go to private universities which are more expensive

There are two systems for university entry :
1) STPM
2) Matriculation

In 2012, there are 83,000 Form Six students and 26,000 matriculation students nationwide.
STPM is affiliated with the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, while matriculation is based on coursework, exams and lecturer evaluation.

FORM Six education has  undergo a massive rebranding making it an attractive pre-university proposition.

Form Six education level that is on a par with other pre-university courses such as matriculation.

Form 6 students are taken out of schools and pooled in an independent learning system.

They have a different set of teachers as well as a revamped learning timetable to better suit its status as a pre-university course.

Going to Form Six and taking the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination is seen by many as the last resort for getting into tertiary education.

Some 83,000 students enter Form Six annually, compared with about 26,000 for matriculation courses.

The new Form Six structure would also shed the “school” image as students would no longer be wearing school uniforms.

Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders look at Form Six as a good preuniversity option as even foreign universities recognized the STPM qualification.

The semester system had been introduced, whereby the current batch of sixth formers will undergo three semesters of learning.

Form Six is sometimes looked at as a continuation of Form Five, when in fact, the students are in a different category altogether, and are more mature.

Sixth formers are not to be looked at differently as their performance can be better than students from matriculation courses.
Malaysian Government has been pushing  to enable Form Six students to be given the pre-university students' image, as well as to ensure standardization of both the STPM and the matriculation courses.

STPM has always been a highly recognized pre-university course and the move to revamp it will make it even more appealing to students."

The independent learning system will expose Form Six students to a university environment.

Form Six (Tingkatan Enam) STPM

The Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) examination, the major exam at the end of form 6, was established in 1982. It replaces the Higher School Certificate (HSC)/ Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan (STP) examination which was conducted by the Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (UCLES).

Offered by many government schools, Form 6 lasts for approximately a year and a half, culminating in the STPM examination at the end of the program. The most common entry requirement for a bachelor’s degree course at local public universities and University College in Malaysia, the STPM is also accepted by most foreign universities. On top of that, it is also the cheapest pre-university option.

The STPM is set and run by the Malaysian Examination Council, which is also administers the Malaysian University English Test (MUET).

Entry Requirements
Generally, a pass in Bahasa Melayu in the SPM examination is required.

Science stream – a combination of points from mathematics and 2 science subjects which must not exceed 18 points.

Art stream – a combination of points from mathematics and any 2 subjects must not exceed 8 points.

Intake
April / May

Fee
Although examination fees were abolished, students still have to pay RM60 for their compulsory MUET test.

Subjects
The list of subjects offered in Form 6 is as follows:

General studies
Malay language
Chinese language
Tamil language
Arabic language
Literature in English
Malay literature
Syariah (Islamic Law)
Usuluddin (Islamic theology)
History
Geography
Economics
Business studies
Accounting
Mathematics S (may not be taken with Mathematics T)
Mathematics T (may not be taken with Mathematics S)
Further Mathematics T (may only be taken with Mathematics T)
Computing (only offered at certain schools)
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Sports science
Visual Art

Besides general studies, which is a compulsory subject, students can take up a maximum if 3 other subjects. Generally, most schools offering Form 6 allow students to opt for either the science stream or the arts stream. Apart from that, the schools also offer a fixed combination of subjects. Research well and check which school offers the subject combination that you want.

In addition to the subjects that you will be taking, you will also be required to sit for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET). This exam is designed to test the English language ability of students who wish to gain admittance into public institutions of higher learning.

Assessment
Science subjects:
3 papers per subject, with the third paper being the practical exam.

Non-science subjects:
2 papers per subject.

Mathematics subjects:
Mathematics S and Mathematics T shares a similar first paper which focuses on pure mathematics. However, in the second paper, Mathematics S will emphasize business mathematics while Mathematics T adopts a more science-related and statistical approach.

MUET:
The test comprises of 4 components:

Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing