Varsity places for 40,506

Twenty local public universities will admit 40,506 students in the new intake beginning next month.
Higher Education Department director-general Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi said the intake was 0.38 per cent more compared with last year's.

A total of 61,228 Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia and matriculation students as well as others with equivalent qualifications had applied for admission.

Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, he said that this year, more emphasis was given to those under the socially disadvantaged group such as the Orang Asli.

"We received up to 66 Orang Asli student applications but only 44 met the required standards," he said after announcing this year's successful applications for first degree programmes at his office yesterday.

He said admission was based on merit with academic scores accounting for 90 per cent of the points and co-curriculum activities making up the balance 10 per cent.

Of the successful applicants, 28,633 are Bumiputeras, 9,569 Chinese and 2,304 Indians and other races.

Of this number, 22,967 are from the science stream and the rest from the arts stream.

For competitive programmes, 962 students were offered medicine, 178 dentistry and 287 pharmacy courses.

A total of 978 students will study chemical engineering, 2,336 electrical and electronic engineering, 1,609 mechanical engineering, 301 law and 941 accountancy.

Radin Umar said 56 new programmes relating to engineering, education, management and entrepreneurship, applied sciences, arts and fine arts, economy, marketing and statistics had been introduced.

Offer letters will be issued from tomorrow.

Unsuccessful applicants can make an appeal within 10 days from today.

For more information, they can go into the websites http: //jpt.uum. edu.my, http://www.jpt.utm.my/ or http://upu.mohe.gov.my.

For enquiries, call the ministry's hotline at 03-88835858, its helpline at 03-88835848 or send SMS by typing UPU RESULT (MyKad number) to 15888.


NST 18/6/10