Let's not trouble
@SusieQQQ again. She's responded to my question elsewhere and we couldn't come to a solid conclusion too.
I'm on the fence with SPM. It would be great if that was the minimum level. However, Malaysia follows the British model of education. Not to the T but its similar. For instance, we don't take the O-levels exams issued by Cambridge. Our exams are set by the Malaysian Education Department and SPM is the Malaysian equivalent to O-levels. In the UK, however, students have to take A-levels to be considered on par with a US High School Diploma. That's why I think SPM might not cut it. I have yet to hear from Malaysian DV winners as they are few and far between.
This also makes things a little confusing because most US universities accept SPM as their high school equivalent. I've not heard of anyone apply to a US college with their SPM results though. Most students who want to study in the US will either take the A-levels or ADP like me because of the lack of the 12th year of education. SAT and TOEFL are additional elements that students need to take on top of this. Of course, some colleges offer classes to prepare for these tests but they are outside of the formal curriculum.
The question of whether ADP is a formal course is also a hard one to answer. How is formal defined in this case? It's not definitive at all. Is it the accreditation and administration by a governing body like Cambridge or Edexel? In that case, ADP isn't formal. On one hand, it's accredited by local administrative bodies but on the other hand it's recognized by US colleges. So, I don't know where it stands on the basis of formality. Additionally, I can't imagine any program being offered by a Malaysian university not being accredited because no one would pay money to enroll in a program that has no recognition and credibility. It's the first thing everyone looks for when choosing a program because it determines their future job prospects. ADP is not like a GED either where you study for 3 months and take the test. Nor is it vocational because the courses are quite general in nature, only differentiated by concentration. But then again, so is the A-levels where there is an art, math and science stream.
In my opinion, A-levels, SAM, IB, ADTP, STPM, local Matriculation, Korean Matriculation are all in the same category and are formal programs in Malaysia. Students can't even get into local universities without completing and passing of the local programs. For those reasons, I would say ADP is formal. But at the end of the day, my opinion doesn't matter, it really depends on how much of an understanding the CO has on the education system in Malaysia.
I hope they are not briefed to only recognize A-levels or STPM. That would be a shame since those are only 2 out of the many choices we have. And if we were to nitpick even STPM wouldn't qualify because the exams written locally and accredited locally.
On a lighter note,
@abumiqdad do you know of anyone who was approved for a DV with SPM? What was the qualification you used in your case?