If you are sure of what course you want to study for your degree, you can just go straight into the Diploma course. If you are not sure of what you want to study in the degree, go for Foundation because you have one year to decide on what to take for your degree. You can apply for the PTPN Loan for Diploma while there is no loan for the Foundation.

You might also be interested to read:

• Choosing the Right Course After SPM or O-Levels Increases Your Chances of Getting a Good Job & Salary in Malaysia
• Explore Your Study Choices After SPM
• Best Diploma Courses in Malaysia at Top Colleges & Universities
• Entry Requirements for Foundation, Diploma & Degree Courses in Malaysia
• How to Choose the Best Private University or College in Malaysia that Fits Me?
• Study Courses that has High Job Demand in Malaysia
• Top 20 Courses to Study in Malaysia that has High Job Demand & Stable Salary
• Malaysia’s 28 Top Jobs in Demand in Future with High Salaries

For more information on the top private universities and colleges in Malaysia, Whatsapp 01111408838

Please fill up the Form below and I will WhatsApp you and provide you with sound advise on how to choose the best private university or college in Malaysia to study at. If you do not give your mobile number or full name as in IC, your query will not be answered. Our knowledgeable & experienced counsellor will send you a message on WhatsApp & provide assistance from there.

In the diploma you will study subjects related to your course while in the Foundation, you will study general subjects mostly unrelated to your course.

With any 3 credits in SPM including a Pass in BM & Sejarah, you can go for the Diploma programme at a top private university in Malaysia.

After the 2 or 2.5-year diploma, you can continue on to Year 2 of the Degree at the same university or college if the degree course is offered. There is no need to perform exemptions if you continue on to degree at the same university.

If not, you can transfer your diploma credits into another university to enter into Year 2 of the degree for another 2 years depending on the exemptions.

It will take about one to three weeks for the university to perform the exemption evaluation.

To perform exemptions, you will need to submit the following documents to the university of interest for exemption evaluation:

• Transcripts for the subjects taken
• Course outline for all subjects taken
• Letter of Completion or Diploma Certificate
• Copy of SPM certificate

For assistance in transferring to top private universities in Malaysia, diploma graduates may contact EduSpiral Consultant Services at 01111408838

PTPN Loan for Diploma  Course in Malaysia

Diploma Course at Top Private Universities in Malaysia

With 3 credits in SPM, you can join most diploma courses at top private universities or colleges in Malaysia. Nowadays, you can finish a diploma in 2 years, it used to be 2.5 years. Therefore, now you will complete a degree in 4 years after the diploma which is the same duration if you go for the Foundation programme.

To join a diploma programme, you will need at least 3 credits in your SPM or 3 Bs in UEC. You must have a Pass in BM and Sejarah. The credits of the subjects will depend on what course you take. For example, Maths will be a required credit for IT and Engineering.

The Diploma pathway is a good choice if you do not have enough money, you can at least graduate with a diploma as it is cheaper and a shorter duration. After working a few years to save money, you can continue to complete your degree. If you find it difficult to study and yet would like a certificate, maybe you should study a diploma as takes less time to complete. A degree may be too difficult and is longer hence you may not have the motivation to finish it.

Diploma programmes in Malaysia tend to be more practical oriented while degree programmes are more theoretical. Foundation programmes are more academic. If you are sure of what you want to study, then you can go for the Diploma course. Students after SPM who are not sure what to study should go for the Foundation or Pre-University Programme. You have 1 year in the Foundation or Pre-U in Malaysia to really decide what to study for your degree.

You can apply for the PTPN Loan for the Diploma course while there is no PTPN loan for Foundation or Pre-University courses.

After the Diploma course, you can continue on to a degree and generally enter into the 2nd Year for another 2 years of study. If you enter engineering, it could be another 2 or 3 years depending on which course.

It depends on the exemptions from the particular institution. Generally you will enter into Year 2 of the similar programme at the same university but if you choose to transfer to another university, you may not get enough exemptions and may only enter into the Final semester of Year 1.

How to Choose the Right Course to Study after SPM?

It can be confusing for students to choose the right major for their undergraduate degree studies in Malaysia. Preparations should have been made even before this time but fear not it is still not too late if you have not decided on a career path. It is important for you to research carefully the career that you intend to pursue.

Students after SPM or O-Levels would need to go through some sort of a Pre-University programme before entering into the degree course. Therefore, you still have about 1 to 1.5 years in your Pre-U programme to really figure out what to study for your degree.

It can be confusing to choose the right course after SPM. You should carefully think about what are the options available to you. To choose the best course that fits you, you need to consider the following:

• Look at your results – what are your best & worst subjects, and which subjects are your favourite?
• What are your interests & hobbies?
• What is your passion?
• Job demand for the career of choice. There is no point in choosing a course out of passion and then graduate to find out that you cannot get a job in that field.
• Salary of the career of choice
• Discuss the budget for your studies with your parents. There is no point in choosing a course like Pharmacy or Medicine, if you cannot afford it.

Ask a Knowledgeable & Experienced Education Consultant in Malaysia to Help you Choose the Right Course after SPM

Choosing a course to study after SPM is not a science, it is a process

in finding out who you are and what you are good at. An experienced Education Advisor would be invaluable in assisting you to choose the right course. Students need to talk to the right education counselors so that you get the right information to help you in making this life-changing decision.

Ask the right Education Counselors. Would you ask a Doctor on how to repair your car? Or would you ask a mechanic for medical advise? Although this sounds ridiculous, but many students do listen to advise from young and inexperienced counselors from universities, colleges or agents’ offices.  Talking to an experienced education advisor would help you to navigate through this confusing time of choosing the best course that fits you.

Experienced education counselors are able to analyse your interests, personality and exam results to help you make a list of possible courses for consideration. EduSpiral Consultant Services staff have more than 15 years experience in counseling students. Having worked in the private education industry, we have in-depth knowledge of each private university and college in what they are good at.

EduSpiral Consultant Services has worked with our partner universities and colleges for many years while the counselors at the private universities or agents’ offices change every few years therefore they would not have the in-depth knowledge of the courses and the university that they are working at.

What am I good at? What am I not good at?

An undergraduate degree course in Malaysia lasts three to five years – that’s a long time to spend studying something which you don’t enjoy, especially at a more intense level! First of all ask yourself what you have enjoyed studying at secondary school in Malaysia.

Your SPM or O-Level results will show what you are actually good at. Having good results in Maths, you can consider Actuarial Science, Accounting, Computing or Finance courses. Having narrowed down to these courses, you can go for the Foundation in Arts for 1 year before really choosing which one to study for your degree.

Alternatively you can also think about subjects you definitely don’t want to study at university level and which you can’t wait to say goodbye to. Crossing these off will make your list of options smaller and less overwhelming.

Your parents and friends would also be able to give you an idea of what you are good at. Looking at your hobbies and interests would help to narrow down the list. Your hobby in drawing could open the possibility of choosing design courses.

What qualifications do I have already?

You may already have an idea of the area you want to study and find a career in, which will have dictated what subjects you’re already studying at school. However it’s good to look at the qualifications and grades you have (or are predicted to have) to see what you are already eligible to study. Some students want to study medicine but in their SPM results, they only managed to get 5Cs. To study in medicine, one needs to have at least 5Bs including the science subjects. Students need to be realistic in choosing their course of study by looking at their actual results.

If your actual results do not meet the entry requirements for your particular course of interest, then you may need to consider other options or to resit the SPM or O-Level exam to get the necessary results.

What are my interests?

If you can’t think of an academic subject which you’re especially strong at or one which you would want to pursue at university-level, think about your non-academic interests outside of school. It’s likely that you’re much more passionate about these but you’ve never even thought you could study a course related to these (or pursue a career in this area).

Your hobbies, interests and which clubs & societies that you have joined in secondary school would give you some idea of what you are good at. These, together with your actual results would contribute to your decision-making process in choosing the right course of study.

New courses are being created all the time to prepare and develop talent for growing industries, such as animation or computer game design. Projects, events and knowledge related to these interests can all contribute to show that you’re passionate about this area and eligible to study on a course which can prepare you for a related career.

In other cases there may be several routes to your dream career, some of which may allow you to study something different before transferring or. Talk to those who are already working in this area to see how they got to where they are now, including what they studied (or even what they wish they had studied).

What do I want to do for my career?

You may have a clear idea of what you want to do for a career which makes choosing a course to study easier, particularly if you want to become a doctor or lawyer. You can search our articles section to see if we’ve already written about your dream graduate career and how you can achieve this.

When making a decision about your career, it is important to take into consideration the average salary. Starting salaries in Malaysia is about RM2800 to RM3000 for most careers while starting salaries in Singapore is about SGD2714. Although starting salaries is generally the same level for everyone, what you do in the following years of your job will determine how much higher you would get.

Therefore, it is also important to choose the right university that would equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to move up in your career. Many students make the mistake of choosing the cheapest university for their studies and then later realise that they cannot get the promotion or salary increment because they did not get the skills needed. English is one of these skills that most students do not take seriously about its importance for promotion and salary increments in future jobs.

Think about it, if you are unable to write a report or email in proper English or do a presentation smoothly, how would you be able to become a manager or CEO eventually?

Best Education Pathway After SPM

There are basically 2 pathways after SPM or O-Levels. You can either go for a Diploma course or Pre-University Course in Malaysia or Singapore. “Pre” means before, therefore, “Pre-University” means the course that you take before entering into a university bachelors degree programme. The common courses under Pre-University are STPM, A-Levels, Foundation, AUSMAT, etc.

Students after SPM or O-Levels who are not sure what to study at degree level can go for the Pre-University course in Malaysia like A-Levels, AUSMAT or Foundation and then proceed on to the degree in Malaysia or Singapore.

Choosing the right Pre-University course that fits you would mean that you have to ask yourself which methods of assessment best suit you? Exams, coursework, practicals, group projects and presentations could all be in the mix in differing quantities. Every Pre-University course will include a % breakdown of assessment. You need to understand yourself and capabilities in order to decide which Pre-University course would best suit you.

Students who are sure of what they want to study after SPM or O-Levels can enter the Diploma course first. The Diploma pathway in Malaysia for students after SPM is 2 or 2.5 years and then enter into Year 2 of the Degree programme.

There are many types of diploma and Pre-University courses in Malaysia as well as hundreds of undergraduate majors to choose from. But knowing the right one for you is the most difficult decision. If you read this guide from start to finish, you’ll know the best courses in Malaysia that would suit you.

If you are not sure what to study, do ask a trained counselor and always make decisions based on evidence and facts. The decisions that you make now, can change your life forever.

You can contact us for a free career test to help you understand yourself better so that you are able to make the right decision.