Undergraduate programmes (Bachelors Degree, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate)
The credentials used to apply for credit transfer must at least be at the post-Matriculation level (i.e. one year post SPM) and accredited by MQA (formerly also known as LAN) or an equivalent National Accrediting Agency.

Postgraduate programmes
The credentials used to apply for credit transfer must at least be at the postgraduate level or equivalent and accredited by MQA (formerly known as LAN) or an equivalent National Accrediting Agency.

Malaysian qualifications obtained prior to the setting up of Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (LAN) or professional qualifications awarded by recognised institutions / professional bodies may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

1. Block Credit Transfer (BCT)
   • A block of unspecified credits awarded for the presented qualification may be used to reduce the number of credits required to fulfil the graduation requirements of a WOU Award. In such cases, WOU will specify the remaining courses (via a ‘top-up’ list) that must be successfully completed to fulfil the graduation requirements of a named Award.
2. General Credit Transfer (GCT)
   • Completed or incomplete qualifications can be considered.
   • The transferred credits awarded may be used to reduce the number of credits required to fulfill the graduation requirements of a WOU Award but cannot be used for exemption from any particular course that is required for the programme. Thus, in practice, GCT may only be applied against ‘elective’ credits.
3. Specific Credit Transfer (SCT)
   • To qualify for SCT there must be at least 70% match in both syllabus and level between the presented course and the intended course.
   • The transferred credits are awarded against the need to successfully complete specific courses in the intended WOU degree requirements on a course-by-course basis.
   • No credit transfer may be allowed for project-type course.

   Please click here for a list of Register of Credentials Approved for Credit Transfer (precedent cases).

1. Fill up the "Application for Advanced Standing/Credit Transfer - Undergraduate” form [A-AS(U)] which is available at the WOU website, Student Portal and Regional Offices.
2. Provide the following compulsory documents:
   a) For BCT applications, certified true copy of the proof of completion (e.g. diploma / degree award) and the full transcript from the relevant institution for the qualification(s).
   b) For SCT applications, certified true copy of the result slip(s) from the relevant institution for the course(s) used to claim SCT.
   
   For qualifications that the University has not evaluated before (i.e. non-precedent cases), the following additional documents are required:
   c) A copy of MQA/ LAN accreditation letter for the presented programme(s) at the time of graduation and/or documents from other reputable institutions (if any) to support the credit transfer.
   d) Standard programme information (for BCT & SCT) such as entry requirements, medium of instruction, programme duration and study mode (i.e. part-/full-time basis).
   e) Additional programme information (for BCT only) such as minimum total credits, list of subjects and subject grouping (e.g. MPW/LAN, compulsory, elective, etc), sample of past year examination papers, first offering of the qualification and when major modifications took place (if any).
   f) Complete and relevant course syllabuses which contain the details of topics, synopsis, objectives, learning outcomes, prerequisites (if any), levels, assessment components, main references.

   (The above is not necessary if WOU has evaluated the programme before (i.e. same programme name, award year(s) and awarding body. A list of previously approved awards can be referenced at the WOU website, Student Portal or Regional Offices.
   

3. A fee will be imposed for every application of credit transfer.
   For cases that have been rejected after an initial investigation, 50% of the application fee will be forfeited for administrative charges. For all other cases, please be informed that the application fee is not refundable regardless of the outcome of the application.


Note : Applications for Advanced Standing / Credit Transfer can be rejected for reasons that may include one or more of the following reasons :- lack of curriculum information, the qualification is not accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (formerly LAN), the qualification was not at least post-Matriculation level (one year post-SPM) or because the Schools have reasonable doubts regarding the stature of the presented qualification, etc.

Please kindly submit items 1 to 3 to your Regional Office.

Postgraduate programmes

1. Fill up the “Application for Advanced Standing/Credit Transfer - Postgraduate” form [A-AS(P)] which is available at the WOU website, Student Portal and Regional Offices.
2. Provide the following compulsory documents:
   a) For BCT applications, certified true copy of the full transcript and proof of completion (e.g. postgraduate award) from the relevant institution for the qualification(s).
   b) For SCT applications, certified true copy of the result slip(s) from the relevant institution for the course(s) used to claim SCT.
   
   For previous qualification that the University has not evaluated before (i.e. non-precedent cases), the following additional documents are required:
   c) A copy of MQA/ LAN accreditation letter for the presented programme(s) at the time of graduation and/or documents from other reputable institutions (if any) to support the credit transfer.
   d) Standard programme information (for BCT & SCT) such as entry requirements, medium of instruction, programme duration and study mode (i.e. part-/full-time basis).
   e) Additional programme information (for BCT only) such as minimum total credits, list of subjects and subject grouping (e.g. MPW/LAN, compulsory, elective, etc), sample of past year examination papers, first offering of the qualification and when major modifications took place (if any).
   f) Complete and relevant course syllabuses which contain the details of topics, synopsis, objectives, learning outcomes, prerequisites (if any), levels, assessment components, main references.

   (The above is not necessary if WOU has evaluated the programme before (i.e. same programme name, award year(s) and awarding body. A list of previously approved awards can be referenced at the WOU website, Student Portal or Regional Offices.)
   

3. A fee will be imposed for every application of credit transfer.
   For cases that have been rejected after an initial investigation, 50% of the application fee will be forfeited for administrative charges. For all other cases, please be informed that the application fee is not refundable regardless of the outcome of the application.
   
   Note : Applications for Advanced Standing / Credit Transfer can be rejected for reasons that may include one or more of the following reasons :- lack of curriculum information, the qualification is not accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (formerly LAN), the qualification was not at or above the postgraduate level or equivalent, or because the Schools have reasonable doubts regarding the stature of the presented qualification, etc.

Please kindly submit items 1 to 3 to your Regional Office.

It is the University's policy that WOU students are required to undertake and pass at least 50% of the total credits required for their intended programmes in order to be eligible for the Awards. For BCT applications, each completed year of study at post-Matriculation shall qualify for 20 Total Credit Value subject to a maximum of 50% of the total credits towards any named WOU Award e.g., 60 credits (Degree); 35 credits (Graduate Diploma); 18 credits (Graduate Certificate).

In order to ensure that all required components for a named WOU degree are covered, a student receiving Advanced Standing / Credit Transfer shall be assigned a 'top-up' list of courses that needs to be successfully completed (Passed) as part of the graduation requirement.

Postgraduate programmes
The total credit transfer (for BCT and SCT) shall not exceed 12 credits towards any named WOU postgraduate degree, except in cases involving CeMBA / CeMPA programmes where the applicant has completed part qualification from a partner institution of the CeMBA consortium. In such cases, BCT of up to 50% may be allowed.

Postgraduate programmes
As an example, if you have been granted a 3-credit course exemption, your CGPA will be calculated over 45 credits instead of 48 credits.

Block Credit Transfer (BCT) – Course Exemptions FAQ
(for undergraduate programmes only)

When students apply for Advanced Standing via Block Credit Transfer, there is often a period of time where they are unsure of whether to proceed to enrol for courses or wait for the outcome of their application as they do not wish to enrol for courses that may receive exemption.

The University continues to advice students to exercise their own discretion when deciding to enrol for courses pending the release of the Advanced Standing results.

In this aspect, the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) would be useful for applicants so that they can receive information about the processes that are involved where Advanced Standing applications are concerned and the likely courses that would be awarded to them under the appropriate conditions.

1.      What are the chances that my credentials can gain credit transfer?

You are likely to gain credit transfer if your credentials used to apply for Block Credit Transfer (BCT) are at the post-Matriculation level (i.e. one year post SPM) and accredited by MQA (formerly known as LAN) or an equivalent National Accrediting Agency.

2.      How many credits am I likely to get?

The maximum credit transfer you can get is influenced by the duration of study of your previous credential and/or the credits awarded in that previous credential amongst other considerations.

As a guide, for each completed year of study at the post-Matriculation level, a student qualifies for a consideration of 20 credits of transfer but this is subject to a maximum of 50% of the total credits towards any named WOU Award.

If the programme duration for your previous qualification was 

• 1-year post-SPM programme, it is equivalent to zero (0) year post-Matriculation and does not qualify for any credits;
• 2-years post-SPM programme, it is then equivalent to 1 year post-Matriculation and qualifies for consideration of 20 credits;
• 3-years post-SPM programme, it is then equivalent to 2 years post-Matriculation and qualifies for consideration of 40 credits; 
• 4-years post-SPM programme, it is then equivalent to 3 years post-Matriculation and qualifies for consideration of 60 credits (maximum).

Similarly, for every 30 credits previously obtained at the post-Matriculation level, the student qualifies for consideration of 20 credits of transfer but this is subject to a maximum of 50% of the total credits towards any named WOU Award.

If your programme minimum total credits (MTC) previously collected was

• 30 credits, it does not qualify for any credits;
• 60 credits, it qualifies for consideration of 20 credits,
• 90 credits, it qualifies for consideration of 40 credits;
• 120 credits, it qualifies for consideration of 60 credits (maximum).

For example:

If your previous qualification was a 90-credit diploma which was conducted in 2.5 years, it qualifies for 30 credits (based on the programme duration) or 40 credits (based on the minimum total credits). The higher value (i.e., 40 credits) will be considered. 

Important: Please note that these calculations only serve as a guide and do not automatically warrant the award of the credits as there are other considerations such as the syllabus, content and level matching.  

3.   Which specific subjects are likely to be exempted if the advanced standing credits are awarded?

When you are awarded advanced standing credits, you will be given a top-up list of remaining courses that you must complete for that intended degree program. The awarded credits are typically used to exempt you from the following courses in this order of consideration:

• credit exemption will be first given to the MPW Compulsory Courses,
• followed by the University Compulsory Courses,
• the Basic Major Course(s), the Elective(s),
• and lastly, the Core Major Course(s).

For course exemptions in the University Compulsory Courses, the following are the criteria to grant exemptions.

1.   WUC 131/03 Learning Skills for University Studies     

      Criteria: All completed qualifications are considered for the exemption of this course.

2.   WUC 106/05 Communication Skills for the Workplace

      Criteria: This course is usually given exemption if the medium of instruction for the presented qualification is in English.

3.   WUC 121/03 Basic Computing and the Internet          

      Criteria: All presented qualifications post-1994 would be considered for exemption for this course.

4.   WUC 114/05 University Mathematics A (SST)             

      Criteria: This course is usually given exemption if the programme structure of the presented qualification covers course(s) which require high levels of mathematical skills.

5.   WUC 115/05 University Mathematics B (SBA)            

      Criteria: This course is usually given exemption if Business Mathematics or Mathematics related courses are components of the programme structure of the presented qualification.

6.   WUC 116/05 University Mathematics for General Studies (SFLS)

      Criteria: This course is usually given exemption if Mathematics related courses are components of the programme structure of the presented qualification.

7.   WUC 202/05 Advanced Writing Skills for University Studies      

      As writing skills are a necessity in tertiary education, students are required to enrol for this course. Exemptions are given only when the presented qualification includes courses that require very high levels of writing skills.

For course exemptions in the Basic Major Course(s)/ Basic Major Elective/Core Major Course(s) for the 6 WOU Bachelor of Business (Hons) programmes, exemptions are given if the relevant course(s) exist in the programme structure of the presented qualification. The course exemptions will be given to the lower level courses first, then the middle level courses and lastly, the higher level courses on a case-by-case basis. All students are advised to enrol for the higher level courses as the knowledge acquired would justify the degree earned.

For course exemptions in the Basic Major Course(s)/Elective/Core Major Course(s) for the 5 WOU Bachelor of Technology (Hons) programmes, exemptions are given if the course syllabuses of the presented qualifications match the course syllabuses for the chosen intended degree programmes.  Course exemptions will first be given to the lower level courses followed by the middle level courses.

For course exemptions in the Basic Major/General Education Course(s) and Elective Course(s) for the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies (Hons) programme, the matching is done based on the courses in the presented qualification towards any of the lower and middle level courses offered under all the degree programmes offered in WOU.

The FAQ given above is to provide you with a clearer picture of the way courses are considered for exemption so that you can proceed to choose your courses carefully while awaiting the results from the ASC.