Professor Ova Emilia, the Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), stated that UGM remains committed to implementing a fair Single Tuition Fee (UKT) scheme through cross-subsidies, where each student pays tuition fees proportionally.
“Every student admitted to UGM is required to pay proportionally. The data shows that 30% of students from affluent families provide subsidies to students from less privileged families, and this is a form of fairness,” Rector Emilia told journalists on Friday (May 31) after having a dialogue and discussion with students who held a rally and presented their aspirations at Balairung.
The rector emphasized that UGM officially agreed not to increase UKT following the issuance of a letter from the Directorate General of Higher Education numbered 0511/E/PR.07.04/2024 regarding the Cancellation of the Single Tuition Fee (UKT) and Institutional Development Contribution (IPI) Increase for the Academic Year 2024/2025.
Rector Emilia responded to questions about the Excellent Education Solidarity Contribution (SSPU) implemented by UGM last year, which IPI has replaced. She mentioned that this contribution provides an opportunity for affluent families to contribute to education at UGM to ensure the mission of educating the nation’s children is achieved.
“This contribution is measurable. We apply it after students enroll, not as a condition for acceptance. If they meet the excellence criteria, they will contribute relatively less than other universities. For the social sciences and humanities cluster, it’s 20 million, while for the science and technology cluster, it’s 30 million,” the rector explained.
Regarding the determination of different UKT amounts for each student, the Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Finance, Professor Supriyadi, explained that many variables are used to determine UKT, such as parents’ income, annual tax returns (SPT), electricity usage, number of dependents, and qualitative data indicating whether prospective students received scholarships (KIP) during junior and senior high school.
Based on this data, UGM adjusts the UKT levels accordingly to place students in the appropriate UKT bracket. The Institutional Development Contribution (IPI) is only given to prospective students from independent selection pathways.
“Moreover, it’s only given to about 35% of students in the Excellent UKT bracket,” the vice-rector clarified.
Vice-Rector Supriyadi stressed that UGM is committed to ensuring that every student admitted to UGM can afford their education. Therefore, they contact students who have not registered through the Directorate of Student Affairs.
Furthermore, students can request adjustments if their parents’ income changes due to reasons such as retirement, illness, or death while their child is still studying.
“We will verify and validate, and if the data is correct, we will assist them,” Vice-Rector Supriyadi said.
He added that last year’s realization data for UKT subsidies showed that 64% of students received subsidies, and a portion of the SSPU funds were allocated for scholarships. He assured that this amount would remain relatively consistent each year.
Responding to the presence of students voicing their aspirations in Balairung for the past four days, the Secretary of UGM, Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, mentioned that UGM will continue to provide space for student expression to facilitate dialogue with the university.
“The current dynamics serve as a learning experience for students in higher education,” he said.
Answering journalists’ questions about the impact on UGM following the Minister of Education’s cancellation of UKT and IPI increases at Public Universities and Public Universities with Legal Entities, Dr. Tonralipu stated that UGM is part of state universities so government decisions will be followed, even if they pose technical difficulties for UGM.
Meanwhile, Professor Agus Maryono, the Dean of the Vocational College (SV UGM), mentioned that SV UGM carefully determines UKT for students.
Before finalizing it, each program study head assesses and analyzes all the family profile data of new prospective students, accompanied by an advocacy and verification team from the Vocational College Student Executive Board.
“If a student still objects to the UKT determination, they can still appeal,” Dean Maryono concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Editor: Gusti Grehenson