The School of Pre-University Studies (SPUS) is the pioneer school of Tunku Abdul Rahman College, opening its doors to the first batch of students on 24 February 1969. Starting off with only Higher School Certificate course, the School now offers four pre-university courses for students who wish to gain admission into both local and overseas universities. The four courses are STPM Sains, STPM Sastera, Cambridge A Level Science and Cambridge A Level Arts.

The STPM Sains and STPM Sastera courses are conducted in full compliance with the rules and regulations of Malaysian Examination Council or Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia (MPM).

The Cambridge A Level qualification is highly regarded for its quality and recognised internationally for admission into degree courses. The course is in high demand by students. Both Science and Arts streams are offered. SPUS conducts Cambridge A Level Examination twice a year, May/June and October/November. A Level students can take the Cambridge A Level Examination in two phases; at Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level and at Advanced Two (A2) level or they can opt to take the examination at the end of the course.