New framework aims to give learners a secure, portable record of verified academic credits accumulated throughout their learning journey
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency has published its Guidelines on Academic Bank of Credit 2026, establishing a national framework for recording and managing verified academic credits earned through eligible microcredentials.
The Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) is developed to provide learners with a secure and centralised portfolio of academic credits accumulated through approved learning completed at different institutions and stages of their lives.
Associate Professor Dr. Lee Heng Wei, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Head of Academic APEL at Wawasan Open University, was among the panel members involved in developing the guidelines. The panel also included representatives from other higher education institutions, government agencies and industry.
A lifelong record of learning
The ABC reflects the changing ways in which people acquire knowledge and skills.
Depending on their commitments and evolving aspirations, working adults may complete a professional course to meet an immediate career need, undertake employer-sponsored training several years later, and eventually return to formal education for a full, accredited qualification.
At present, records of these learning achievements are often stored separately by learning institutions, professional bodies and training providers. The ABC is intended to bring eligible academic credits together in one comprehensive and portable record that remains with the learner.
According to Dr. Lee, its significance lies in ensuring that verified learning completed in different settings does not remain fragmented or lose its potential value.
“By bringing verified academic credits into one trusted record, the ABC gives learners a clearer picture of what they have achieved and greater control over how that learning may support their future studies, professional development, or career progression.”
The guidelines position learners as the owners of their Academic Credit Records (ACR). Learners will generally control access to the records and decide when the information may be shared with universities, employers, professional bodies or other authorised organisations.
Quality and academic standards remain central
The ABC is not intended to include every short course, workshop or certificate of attendance.
Eligible learning may include courses unbundled from accredited academic programmes and quality-verified stand-alone microcredentials. Structured professional development and workplace training may also qualify when they have clear learning outcomes, proper assessment and verifiable evidence of achievement.
Dr. Lee said maintaining clear quality standards would be essential to building confidence in the system.
“The ABC must record demonstrated learning, not attendance alone. Learners need to complete the required assessment and show that they have achieved the stated learning outcomes before academic credit can be awarded.”
Having academic credits recorded in the ABC also does not mean that they will automatically count towards a degree or another qualification.
The receiving university will continue to assess whether the learning outcomes, academic level, credit value and subject content meet the requirements of a particular programme. A credit that is suitable for one qualification may not meet the requirements of another.
As Dr. Lee explained:
“Recording academic credit and transferring it into a qualification are two separate processes. The ABC provides reliable information, but universities remain responsible for ensuring that any credit transfer meets the academic and quality requirements of the programme.”
Supporting flexible and lifelong learning
Under the ABC framework, higher education providers may participate as depositors of Academic Credit Records when they offer eligible microcredentials and meet the required academic, data, consent, verification and reporting requirements.
The framework’s emphasis on lifelong learning and flexible progression is particularly relevant to WOU’s community of working adults, many of whom pursue education in stages while balancing professional and personal commitments.
As these guidelines take effect, WOU can use the framework to strengthen how eligible microcredentials are documented, recognised, and connected to further study, giving learners clearer progression pathways while maintaining academic standards.
What types of learning may be recorded? Can professional or workplace training qualify? Who controls the learner’s record, and will credits earned through WOU be included? Read our full Q&A with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lee Heng Wei here to learn more about what the Academic Bank of Credit could mean for learners and working professionals.