The sudden increase in medical program fees at the University of Malaya (UM) to RM500,000 for the 2025/2026 session through the Open Channel (SATU) has sparked major concerns among Malaysians, especially regarding access to education for B40 and M40 students.
MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, described the 67.1% increase from RM299,200 as something very excessive, especially when students accepted through the UPU system only have to pay RM15,000 as a government subsidy.
He warned that this huge fee gap could undermine the principle of meritocracy and give the impression that only the rich can become doctors.
He added that data showed that the number of students entering UM through the SATU channel had increased drastically, from 142 in 2018 to 399 in 2022, reflecting the commercialisation trend of public universities.
Dr Wee also cited statistics from the Ministry of Higher Education showing that almost 60% of applicants to public universities in 2022 were from B40 households and questioned whether the majority of these students would continue to be excluded from critical fields such as medicine due to financial constraints.
In addition to the medical programme, fees for the Biomedical Science Degree are expected to increase to RM136,800 in 2025, up from RM103,000 in 2024 and the Nursing Science Degree fees are also expected to increase to the same amount, compared to RM112,300 previously.
Meanwhile, former Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia, Professor Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah, also warned that this open or commercial recruitment model has the potential to widen inequality and marginalize less-able students.
This fee hike is not just about numbers — it is about the future, fairness, and who deserves the opportunity.
If medical education starts to become the exclusive right of those who can afford it, then we must ask: who will treat the people if the doctors of the future only come from the elite?
