I posted this before.

Anyway - here is my previous posts.

Ok - I am going to write a really lengthy reply for this. This is based on me answering from an academic point of view.

DIPLOMAS - Diplomas are considered as semi-terminal qualification in that it is the lowest recognized tertiary academic qualification that enables you to get a job after completion. Diplomas are usually structured around 24-36 months and are ideal for programmes which are technical-based. Because of that Diplomas gives you the opportunity to enter the workforce early. It also has a lower entry requirement (Usually 3 credits) and you are eligible for PTPTN loans.

FOUNDATION - While diploma prepares a student to take on a job, foundation programmes help students adapt to university life - making the transition from secondary education to tertiary. You do not get a parchment upon completion of a foundation programme and thus, is not a recognizable route for an early start to the job market. The content in foundation programmes is focused and aimed at increasing academic knowledge and study skills as well as improve the student's respective soft-skills. Foundation programmes are NOT eligible for PTPTN loans. Foundation has a higher entry qualification (5 Credits minimum)

Now what is the difference between Diploma>Degree and Foundation>Degree?

In terms of route - The only difference is diploma is more suited to students who wish to work and take a higher education such as degree later.

In terms of learning - Now this is where all the difference is. Because the diploma is to prepare you to work, it has to very quickly go into the specifics of the area of discipline. And because of its duration - the fundamentals are sometimes not covered in-depth. For example - If it's computer science, then the fundamentals are probably Maths, Algorithms and Logic. Depending on who you speak to - these core fundamentals are MORE important than programming itself. Now if you go into a 2-year diploma, you would most likely have only 6 months or 1 semester of fundamentals crammed into the programme while the rest is geared at equipping you with the right skills to get the job done upon graduation. Less emphasis on academics, diploma courses focuses on getting a person trained and qualified in a particular business or trade.

While a foundation programme typically focuses at least 1 year of getting the fundamentals in place together with other aspects of tertiary education. And after the foundation, you would have 3 years to more or less learn all the required knowledge, attributes and skills to get you ready for the job market. While doing a diploma rushes you through 2 years of both fundamentals and skills and if you continue to a degree, trains you for another 2-2.5 years of roughly the same thing.

I always say this - which is better, for you to learn 4 weeks on how to bake a cake, or two 2 week sessions of learning how to bake a cake? From a learning perspective, the longer the period to digest learning, the better. Repetitive learning in this context is not the same.

If you already intend to obtain a degree - go through the foundation route.

If you want to work, don't have enough credits at SPM level or don't have the funds to study - then go through the diploma route.

Generally speaking - You should NOT do a diploma if you:
1. You’re still not sure of what you want to do in the future
2. You plan to pursue academically challenging Degrees, such as Medicine or Engineering
3. You are looking for the best entry path to top universities abroad

To clear another misconception - if you take the foundation route, you CAN take your degree in other universities. It's just that if you take a business foundation, you cannot go into engineering or science degrees. BUT you are allowed to use your foundation done in university A and enrol in University B. All you have to do is meet the university's entry requirement. Usually it's 2.0 to 2.5 CGPA.

Let me show you two examples:

Bachelor of Marketing (Hons) Entry Requirements from MMU:
Entry Requirements
Pass Foundation / Matriculation from a recognised institution

3+0 Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computer Science Requirements from INTI University:
Successful completion of the Foundation / Matriculation program that is approved by the Ministry of Higher Education with CGPA 2.0 and credit in SPM Add Maths or equivalent.

And one taken from the MQA Programme Standards for Media and Communications:
(Which acts as a guideline for ALL universities running programme that falls under the umbrella of this standards:
Entry Requirements (Student Selection) for Undergraduate Programmes (Degree) - (PG24)
Matriculation/Foundation or its equivalent, with a minimum CGPA of 2.00 and credit in English at SPM or its equivalent.

Hope this dispels any misconception that people have that foundation programmes are ONLY meant to flowthrough into the host/awarding institution