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Kota Kinabalu: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) does not accept the UEC (Unified Examination Certificate) as a condition of admission as Malaysian students are supposed to take exams such as the SPM and STPM. "UEC also does not meet the requirements for admission to public universities as it has quite a different grading system than SPM and STPM. Most local students who take the UEC are usually those who wish to study in foreign universities such as in Singapore, where UEC is accepted as one of the entry requirements," said Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah.

Sarawak and Selangor have both started to recognise the UEC as a means to plug the loss of talent to other countries. The UEC is also accepted in most of the ivy league universities worldwide including Oxford (UK), Cambridge (UK), Yale, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (all USA), Nanyang University and National University of Singapore.

Meanwhile, Harun said the intake of foreign students is consistent with the Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint, which provides for a quota UEC not accepted: UMS of five per cent for the admission of international students.

Under this policy, UMS provides opportunities for higher education to undergraduate right up to PhD students from different countries.

"UMS is not only recognised as one of the best public universities in the country, but other countries such as China, Iran, Turkey and Indonesia also recognise the UMS as an institution of higher learning that seeks to produce quality graduates. This is evidenced by the number of students from these countries increasing every year.

"Entry requirements for international students includes a pass in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) other than academic documentation from the country of origin being checked to be on par with the qualification standards set by Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and the minimum requirements set by faculties in UMS."

For those who do not have the opportunity to take IELTS or TOEFL, UMS provides an Intensive English Preparatory Programme (IEPP) for three months before those who achieve at least a grade B in the exams are eligible to pursue a variety of programmes in UMS.

"For those who wish to further their studies to the Faculty of Psychology and Education; Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, as well as the Faculty of Business, Economics and accounting, an interview will be held by the faculty as the final process to make sure they really worthy to further their studies at the faculty.

"For the record, students from China who apply to continue their studies at UMS have a High School equivalent qualification recognised to be on par with the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) by MQA."

"In addition to producing graduates specialising in niche areas, UMS also encourages its students to master English.

"This is implemented through the teaching of which at least 10 per cent of courses are taught in English. UMS also encourage students to learn foreign languages ​​such as French and Arabic. These courses are available through the Center for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language."