Entry Requirements for Malaysian Universities: Saudi, IGCSE & IB (2027)

Saudi High School Entry to Malaysian Universities

MQA officially lists the Saudi Tawjihiyah / General Secondary Education Certificate / Secondary School Graduation Certificate as equivalent for entry to Level 6 MQF — Bachelor’s Degree.

This means Saudi students may be considered for direct Bachelor’s admission without completing a Foundation first. But universities can still require a particular overall percentage or particular subject grades.

For example, UKM currently publishes 85% for Saudi Higher / Upper Secondary School Certificate applicants on its international degree requirements.

UTM is more subject-specific. For Engineering, Saudi applicants currently need at least 80% in Mathematics and Physics, plus Chemistry or Biology. Computer Science applicants need at least 80% in Mathematics plus two relevant Science or Computing subjects.

IGCSE Entry to Malaysian Universities

IGCSE is generally not a direct Bachelor’s qualification in Malaysia. MQA places recognised International GCSE qualifications at Foundation · Level 3 Certificate · Level 4 Diploma.

The typical route is therefore:

IGCSE → Foundation / Diploma → Bachelor’s Degree

A common Foundation requirement is around 5 credits, but required subjects depend on the pathway. For example, APU requires five Grade C credits or above for its Foundation programmes, with Engineering additionally requiring Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry or Technical Science.

For Medicine and Pharmacy pathways, requirements can be much stricter. University of Cyberjaya‘s Foundation in Science route requires Grade B in five subjects including Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics / Additional Mathematics for Medicine and Pharmacy pathways.

IB Diploma Entry to Malaysian Universities

The full International Baccalaureate Diploma is officially classified by MQA at Level 6 MQF — Bachelor’s Degree, so IB students can normally be considered for direct Bachelor’s admission.

There is no universal Malaysian IB score, however. Requirements vary significantly by programme. Current official examples include:

Entry Requirements by University

Where an official university does not publish one universal Saudi percentage or IB score, it is shown as programme-specific rather than estimated.

Requirements for Business and Management

Business programmes are generally more flexible than Engineering or Medicine, but Mathematics may still be required for programmes such as Accounting · Finance · Economics · FinTech · Actuarial Studies · Business Analytics.

For IB students, some current programme examples begin around the mid-20s. UNITEN‘s Bachelor in International Business, for example, requires a minimum 24 IB points in six subjects.

UCSI‘s Business Information Systems degree requires 26 points in six subjects, together with Mathematics requirements.

Requirements for Computing and IT

Students interested in Computer Science · Software Engineering · Artificial Intelligence · Cybersecurity · Data Science · Information Technology should pay particular attention to Mathematics.

For Saudi applicants, UTM requires at least 80% in Mathematics plus two relevant Science or Computing subjects for Computer Science.

UTP‘s IB route for IT-related programmes uses 24 points, including Mathematics and other required non-language subjects.

Southampton Malaysia‘s Computer Science degree is more selective, currently requiring 32 IB points overall, 16 points at Higher Level and a specified Higher Level Mathematics grade.

Requirements for Engineering

Engineering applicants should normally expect universities to look closely at Mathematics · Physics · Chemistry · Additional Mathematics.

UTM‘s Saudi Engineering requirement is a clear example: at least 80% in Mathematics and Physics, plus Chemistry or Biology.

UTP‘s Engineering IB route requires at least 24 points, including minimum Point 4 in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry for several Engineering disciplines.

For IGCSE students planning an Engineering Foundation, APU requires five credits including Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry or Technical Science.

Requirements for Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy

Professional health programmes have some of the strictest entry requirements in Malaysia. The fact that your Saudi or IB qualification is accepted at Bachelor level does not automatically mean you qualify for Medicine.

IMU Medicine currently requires 33 IB points with at least 5 in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics at Higher Level.

University of Cyberjaya‘s Pharmacy degree requires 30 IB points, with specified Biology, Chemistry and Physics / Mathematics requirements.

For IGCSE students planning a Medicine or Pharmacy Foundation route, stronger school-level results are also common. University of Cyberjaya, for example, requires five Grade Bs across the relevant Science and Mathematics subjects.

For these programmes, always check: overall grade · Biology · Chemistry · Physics / Mathematics · IGCSE / O-Level Science results · interview or additional assessment.

Academic Requirements and English Requirements Are Different

Meeting the academic requirement does not automatically mean you have met the university’s English requirement.

A Saudi student may qualify academically for a Bachelor’s degree but still need an approved English qualification. Likewise, an IGCSE or IB student may already satisfy the English requirement through previous study, depending on the university.

Common options include IELTS · TOEFL · PTE Academic · MUET · Cambridge English · Linguaskill · ELS · English-medium exemption.