APEL - UNITAR International University

UNITAR APEL CENTRE

About Us

The strategic mission of APEL Centre is to widen access to higher education by granting recognition to individuals with prior experiential learning for the purpose of admission to programmes of study, and award of credits and academic qualifications.

UNITAR as an APEL Assessment Center (PPA)

Objective:

  • Supporting the nation’s aspiration to enhance and widen educational opportunities for learners.
  • To encourage individuals of various backgrounds and ages to engage in lifelong learning by providing pathways for assessment and validation of their prior learning experiences.

PPA function

  • To receive and process APEL.A applications for admission to Diploma (APEL T-4), Bachelor’s Degree (APEL T-6) and Master’s Degree (APEL T -7).
  • Guiding candidates in the APEL.A assessment application process
  • Fully implement the APEL.A evaluation process.
  • Submit the candidate’s APEL.A assessment results to MQA for record purposes.
  • MQA will issue an official notification and issue an APEL.A certificate to the successful candidates.

APEL.A

What is APEL.A?

APEL.A enables individuals with work experience to pursue higher education if they lack the formal academic qualifications needed for normal entry into university programmes.

Why APEL.A?

  • Provide recognition for learning acquired from non-formal and informal sources
  • Reduce the duplication of learning
  • Encourage the participation of adults in higher education by recognizing their prior experiential learning
  • Reduce the time and cost of completing a study programme
  • Increase access and widen participation for non-conventional learners
  • Increase mobility and employability

Who can apply?

Any Malaysian citizen seeking to pursue higher education based on their prior experience.

How to apply?

Steps in entering UNITAR Programmes through APEL.A

1. Check the Requirements

MQF Level

Age

Minimum Qualification

Working Experience

APEL Assessment

Diploma

More than 20

✓

✓

Bachelor

More than 21

✓

✓

Master

More than 30

STPM / Diploma* / A-Levels

*Accredited by MQA

✓

✓

2. Make an Application

Embark on your APEL journey by completing the online application form by clicking the link below:

https://www2.mqa.gov.my/apel_a/ 


3. Participate in APEL.A assessments

Assessment Component

Description:

Diploma

Bachelor

Master

Aptitude Test

  • Bahasa Malaysia
  • English Language
  • Numeral Literacy
  • General Knowledge, Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy
  • 100% weightage
  • 40 MCQs (10 per subject)
  • Required competency level: PMR or equivalent
  • 2 hours
  • 30% weightage
  • 40 MCQs (10 per subject)
  • Required competency level: SPM or equivalent
  • 2 hours
  • 40% weightage
  • 75 MCQs and 5 essay questions (all subjects)
  • Required competency level: Diploma or equivalent
  • 2 hours & 30 minutes

Portfolio
To show evidence of work experience/prior experiential learning

Required

70% weightage

40% weightage

Interview

Not required

Not required

20% weightage

4. Pass APEL.A assessment and Gain Admission

Upon successfully completing all assessment components, you may proceed to register for your desired program of study.

APEL.C

What is APEL.C?

APEL.C is the award of credits granted to a student for a course in an accredited programme offered at UNITAR with a systematic process that involves the identification, documentation, and assessment of prior experiential learning.

The award of credits is granted for informal and non-formal learning, with a primary emphasis on assessing an individual’s ability to apply experiential learning to attain the specified learning outcomes of a course.

Why APEL.C?

  • Facilitates a shorter study period
  • Acknowledges and values informally obtained experiential learning
  • Avoid repetitive learning
  • May contribute to reducing study costs
  • Enables a more flexible approach to higher education, accommodating diverse learning paths
  • Encourages individuals to embrace lifelong learning by recognizing and valuing ongoing educational experiences
  •  

Who can apply?

  • Malaysians & Non-Malaysians Citizen
  • Applicants who are registered students of UNITAR in the applicable programme
  • Applicants with relevant informal and/or non-formal learning experience in the course(s) applied

How to apply?

APEL.C in 3 steps

Preliminary Readiness
  • Identify the course(s) that you would like to use APEL.C.
  • Submit details of your relevant prior learning and working experiences for each course for review.
Application and Assessment
  • The advisor will review your submission and advise you accordingly. Be on alert for important deadlines for application, test or portfolio submission.
  • Upon successful application, you can attempt the APEL.C assessment.
Credit Award
  • If you pass the APEL.C assessment, you will be awarded credits for the course(s)
  • Courses that have been awarded credits will not be included in the calculation of your CGPA.
  • If you fail the assessment, for any particular course, you need to register to undertake that course.

APEL.Q

What is APEL.Q?

APEL for Award of Academic Qualifications (APEL.Q) refers to the granting of academic qualifications to individuals based on the evaluation and assessment of their prior experiential learning within fully accredited programs offered by Malaysian higher education providers.

APEL.Q recognizes the relevance of an individual’s prior experiential learning to a specific program of study, considering knowledge and skills acquired through formal, informal, or non-formal means. The awarding of academic qualifications through APEL Q involves a formal review to ensure the qualifications’ integrity and credibility. This includes assessing if the learning aligns with program learning outcomes, the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF), and the relevant program’s body of knowledge.

Why APEL.Q?

  • Recognize learning gained from formal education, work experience, and short courses
  • Reduce repetitive learning
  • Encouraging the admission of adult learners to higher education programs
  • Reduce the cost and time to acquire an academic qualification

Who can apply?

  • Malaysians & Non-Malaysians Citizen
  • Meet a minimum period of relevant work experience

Period of relevant work experience

 

MQF Level

 

Academic Sector

Minimun years of working experience in the relevant field

4

Diploma

10 years

7

Master’s Degree

20 years

How to apply?

Self-Assessment
  • Register your interest to take APEL.Q at the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) website
  • Receive an invitation for a briefing UNITAR Apel Centre. The briefing will include a guided self-assessment exercise. The advisor will help you determine your eligibility to apply for APEL.Q.
Formal Application
  • If you meet the eligibility criteria for APEL.Q, you will undergo the formal application process to enroll as a learner at UNITAR.
Assessment Process
  • The APEL.Q assessment has four aspects:
    • Portfolio submission
    • FVV
    • Challenge test
    • Capstone courses
  • APEL.Q assessment is outcome-based, focusing on the body of knowledge and competencies you possess, matching them with the learning outcomes of the programme you are interested in.
Academic Award
  • Upon successful completion of your program, UNITAR will provide you with a scroll, transcript, and a Malaysian Qualification Statement (MQS).
Programme Offered
  • Master of Business Administration (MQA/FA 1712) – Stay tuned for our new program!!!
  • Diploma in Early Childhood Education

Resources

What is APEL & Description of Prior Experiential Learning

APEL – Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning is a systematic process that involves the identification, documentation, and assessment of prior experiential learning, i.e., knowledge, skills, and attitudes, to determine the extent to which an individual has achieved the desired learning outcomes, for access to a programme of study and/or award of credits. APEL generally involves the assessment of experiential learning, including those that have not previously been assessed or credit rated.

This Prior Experiential Learning may be acquired through formal, non-formal, and informal means, including formal schooling, work and life experiences, training, independent study, voluntary work, hobbies and family experiences:

  • Formal learning refers to a learning/programme of study delivered within an organised and structured context (preschool, primary school, secondary school, college, and University) that may lead to formal recognition or a recognised qualification.
  • Non-formal learning refers to learning that takes place alongside the mainstream systems of education and training. It may be assessed but does not normally lead to formal certification.
  • Informal learning refers to learning that takes place continuously through life and work experiences. It is often unintentional learning.

Examples of prior experiential learning include the relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained through:

  • work experience: full-time, part-time, or casual;
  • voluntary and community work;
  • family duties;
  • hobbies or leisure activities;
  • coaching and mentoring others;
  • attending and participating in seminars, conferences, and workshops;
  • attending short courses;
  • fluency in other languages;
  • private study and research; and
  • any other life experience.

Source
MQA. (2013). Guidelines to good practices: Accreditation of prior experiential learning (2nd ed.). Malaysia Qualifications Agency. p. 4

FAQ

The list below is the frequently asked questions link from the MQA website related to APEL.A, APEL.C, and APEL.Q:

APEL.A – https://www2.mqa.gov.my/portalapela/faq.cfm

APEL.C – https://www2.mqa.gov.my/qad/garispanduan/2017/APEL%20(C).pdf

APEL.Q – https://www2.mqa.gov.my/apel/APEL_Q/faq.cfm

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