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DV Lottery hopeful - Malaysia

Hi,

My wife is a Malaysia citizen and we are planning to apply for the DV lottery for 2021 (if it happens). My wife did her schooling in a Chinese school and has a Senior Middle (UEC-SML) certificate (UEC stands for Unified Examination Certificate) and she went to college in Taiwan. Countries like Taiwan, Singapore.. etc accept the UEC-SML, where as National universities in Malaysia does not. I was wondering if my wife can apply for the DV Lottery. Has anyone from Malaysia applied for the DV lottery with UEC-SML ?

Regards,
 
I am not sure, Wikipedia says it is accepted but I am not very sure. This is the quote from Wikipedia

The UEC-SML is recognised as a qualification for entrance into many tertiary educational institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, Canada and many others. It is not recognised by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities, but most private colleges recognise it.
 
Is the Malaysian refusal to accept it political or academic?
Anyway the benchmark is if it is acceptable to US colleges for admission as is.
 
I often use U Colorado because it has easy to find international requirements. It says this for Malaysia (note that only some countries have minimum grade requirements, this is one of them)

  • UEC (Unified Examination Certificate)
    • A minimum average grade of B6, 60-64, Credit
 
Is the Malaysian refusal to accept it political or academic?
Anyway the benchmark is if it is acceptable to US colleges for admission as is.

I think it is more political than academic. Malaysian Gov wants the Chinese schools to teach Bahasa Malaysia which is the National Language for Malaysia. Chinese schools take classes in Mandarin or traditional Chinese which the Malaysia gov does not like
 
I often use U Colorado because it has easy to find international requirements. It says this for Malaysia (note that only some countries have minimum grade requirements, this is one of them)

  • UEC (Unified Examination Certificate)
    • A minimum average grade of B6, 60-64, Credit

Hi,

Thanks a lot... Actually what is the link ? I tried googling but no luck !
 
Hi, I'm a DV hopeful like kprasad_dv. Difference is I took the SPM which is listed on the link posted as a minimum requirement for University of Colorado and took the American Degree Transfer Program (ADTP) after. The ADTP has an American based curriculum and is a 2 year program that gives exposure to US curriculum. The first year is technically like the 12th grade of high school and the second year counts as freshman credit in US colleges. This was 7 years ago though. I have since completed undergrad and grad school in the US. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I am back in my home country.

I'm wondering if either the SPM or ADTP will satisfy the high school requirement. It would be sad if it didn't since I actually got into a US college with them. Got into university of Colorado as well but I decided to attend a different college.

I've heard different opinions. Since Malaysia follows the British system, the A-levels is technically the high school equivalent. But the A levels curriculum actually exceeds high school.
 
Hi, I'm a DV hopeful like kprasad_dv. Difference is I took the SPM which is listed on the link posted as a minimum requirement for University of Colorado and took the American Degree Transfer Program (ADTP) after. The ADTP has an American based curriculum and is a 2 year program that gives exposure to US curriculum. The first year is technically like the 12th grade of high school and the second year counts as freshman credit in US colleges. This was 7 years ago though. I have since completed undergrad and grad school in the US. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I am back in my home country.

I'm wondering if either the SPM or ADTP will satisfy the high school requirement. It would be sad if it didn't since I actually got into a US college with them. Got into university of Colorado as well but I decided to attend a different college.

I've heard different opinions. Since Malaysia follows the British system, the A-levels is technically the high school equivalent. But the A levels curriculum actually exceeds high school.

Well, your last sentence is tricky because yes it does, but the qualification level below it of GSCEs/O-levels is not sufficient for DV which means that it’s A-levels or bust if that’s the school system one came through.
And you can get into just about any US college including the Ivy League with a GED, but it still isn’t acceptable for DV. So that is a guide but not definitive.
Unfortunately we see so few Malaysian selectees that we just don’t have useful info. I’d think your US college degrees would mean you’d be good for DV. Are there any local Malaysian forums (even general US immigration ones) that might help with info? And a favor, if you do find out anything useful or definitive, please come back and share that to help future posters who might have the same question.
 
Well, your last sentence is tricky because yes it does, but the qualification level below it of GSCEs/O-levels is not sufficient for DV which means that it’s A-levels or bust if that’s the school system one came through.
And you can get into just about any US college including the Ivy League with a GED, but it still isn’t acceptable for DV. So that is a guide but not definitive.
Unfortunately we see so few Malaysian selectees that we just don’t have useful info. I’d think your US college degrees would mean you’d be good for DV. Are there any local Malaysian forums (even general US immigration ones) that might help with info? And a favor, if you do find out anything useful or definitive, please come back and share that to help future posters who might have the same question.

Susie,

Thanks for your reply. I've been scouring the internet to find local forums. However, since winners from Malaysia are few and far between, hardly anyone posts about their experiences. Most will spam forums like this when they are selected but disappear once the case gets approved.

Yes, the A-levels is ONE option in Malaysia for pre-U university programs here and a popular one at that. But many also choose to do IB, Australian Matriculation, local matriculation program, government administered STPM (the A-level equivalent) or ADTP like me. There isn't a fixed program that everyone has to go through like in the US or any country with a compulsory grade system. It really depends on which country they aspire to further studies in as each program is tailored for a specific country. Students who aspire to study locally will usually enroll in a university specific foundation course, matriculation or STPM. Those who wish to study overseas with take the A-levels for UK, SAM/AUSMAT for Australia or ADTP for US, with A-levels being the most generally accepted across the board. They are all in the same category of Pre-University program, not vocational programs and it is a prerequisite for every Malaysian student who intends to pursue a tertiary education, local or overseas.

I think the government made this mandatory to match the British system since the SPM is technically the O-levels equivalent and students can choose to stop at that level like in the UK or pursue a higher level, in this case, a Pre-University program in order to get accepted for tertiary education. This gives students alternatives to the A-levels which can be expensive, only offered in private institutions in Malaysia and might be financially burdensome for certain families. Also, the high school requirement, as outlined by the official DV instruction is something along the lines of:

"the successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a high
school education in the United States. Only formal courses of study meet this requirement; correspondence
programs or equivalency certificates (such as the General Equivalency Diploma G.E.D.) are not acceptable. "

All the programs I've mentioned above (local or international based) are formal programs that require a minimum of 1 year of studies(in the case of the Australian programs) with a structured in class curriculum. Students also receive a certificate of completion upon finishing as a needed proof when applying to universities. Based on my understanding, an applicant will be denied/disqualified IF their education stops at SPM (O-level) since every other route basically ensures the extra year of secondary education and beyond. I just don't know who well COs understands the education system here.

I don't know if this changes your understanding or your opinion of my chances getting approved with the ADTP program. I'd like to hear your input on this still. Thanks.

PS: I'm planning to call the US Embassy to confirm this. I've called them once a while back to inquire about my F-1 visa processing and they weren't too friendly then. So wish me luck!
 
Last edited:
Susie,

Thanks for your reply. I've been scouring the internet to find local forums. However, since winners from Malaysia are few and far between, hardly anyone posts about their experiences. Most will spam forums like this when they are selected but disappear once the case gets approved.

Yes, the A-levels is ONE option in Malaysia for pre-U university programs here and a popular one at that. But many also choose to do IB, Australian Matriculation, local matriculation program, government administered STPM (the A-level equivalent) or ADTP like me. There isn't a fixed program that everyone has to go through like in the US or any country with a compulsory grade system. It really depends on which country they aspire to further studies in as each program is tailored for a specific country. Students who aspire to study locally will usually enroll in a university specific foundation course, matriculation or STPM. Those who wish to study overseas with take the A-levels for UK, SAM/AUSMAT for Australia or ADTP for US, with A-levels being the most generally accepted across the board. They are all in the same category of Pre-University program, not vocational programs and it is a prerequisite for every Malaysian student who intends to pursue a tertiary education, local or overseas.

I think the government made this mandatory to match the British system since the SPM is technically the O-levels equivalent and students can choose to stop at that level like in the UK or pursue a higher level, in this case, a Pre-University program in order to get accepted for tertiary education. This gives students alternatives to the A-levels which can be expensive, only offered in private institutions in Malaysia and might be financially burdensome for certain families. Also, the high school requirement, as outlined by the official DV instruction is something along the lines of:

"the successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a high
school education in the United States. Only formal courses of study meet this requirement; correspondence
programs or equivalency certificates (such as the General Equivalency Diploma G.E.D.) are not acceptable. "

All the programs I've mentioned above (local or international based) are formal programs that require a minimum of 1 year of studies(in the case of the Australian programs) with a structured in class curriculum. Students also receive a certificate of completion upon finishing as a needed proof when applying to universities. Based on my understanding, an applicant will be denied/disqualified IF their education stops at SPM (O-level) since every other route basically ensures the extra year of secondary education and beyond. I just don't know who well COs understands the education system here.

I don't know if this changes your understanding or your opinion of my chances getting approved with the ADTP program. I'd like to hear your input on this still. Thanks.

PS: I'm planning to call the US Embassy to confirm this. I've called them once a while back to inquire about my F-1 visa processing and they weren't too friendly then. So wish me luck!
what's the verdict?
 
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