38,549 receive public university offers for 2012⁄2013

38,549 candidates obtained places in public institutions of higher learning (IPTA) to attend their first degree programmes for the 2012/2013 session.
There was a decrease of candidates by 1.5% from the previous session due to several factors.
Higher Education Department director-general Prof Datuk Dr Rujhan Mustafa commented that the qualified candidates were lower this year due to the course of choice of whether candidates agreed to accept the offer of the course out of their selection; lower merit points or did not sit for the Malaysian University English Test.
65.8% of the successful candidates are females, with 21, 959 from the science stream and 16, 590 from the arts stream.
According to the racial breakdown, 27, 455 were Bumiputras; 8986 Chinese, 1384 Indians and 724 other races.
The policy for IPTA intake and selection of students were based on the meritocracy principle, applying 90% academic marks and 10% co-curriculum marks to determine a candidate's merit value.
5154 students were offered places in eight competitive courses; medicine (875), dentistry (170), pharmacy (295), law (354), chemical engineering (666), mechanical engineering (1071), electric and electronic engineering (919) and accounting (804).
From this year onwards, research university IPTAs were given the autonomy in managing their student intakes. They are University Sains Malaysia (USM). Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
2015 candidates received two offer letters from different universities and they are advised to choose one.
Unsuccessful candidates can appeal in 10 days through e-rayuan at its website http://upu.mohe.gov.my/upu.php before the 22nd of July 2012.