UGM Empowers Students from Rural Areas to Pursue Higher Education

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) admits more than 10,000 new students yearly, over 30 percent of whom come from economically disadvantaged families. Despite their financial challenges, these students possess strong academic abilities.

Muhammad Arifin Ilham (19), a student of International Relations at the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM), hailed from Aceh and shared that his journey to study at UGM was not easy, especially coming from a family living in the westernmost part of Indonesia. His parents were victims of the 2004 Aceh tsunami.

Even though his family is not financially well-off, they never stop striving to find ways to achieve their dreams. 

“I learned about UGM from TV. Since junior high school, I have been interested in pursuing higher education at UGM,” said Arifin at UGM on Wednesday (June 5).

Arifin actively participated in various national-level science competitions and olympiads in high school. He honed his skills to convince his parents that he could study outside the region. 

“Many people said I have potential, so why not try for UGM? I also tried to convince my parents that there are many scholarships available at UGM,” said the eldest of three siblings. 

Initially, he did not get much support from his parents, considering studying out of town often incurs significant expenses, especially at one of Indonesia’s top universities. 

However, with determination and persistence, he applied to the International Relations program at Fisipol UGM through the academic excellence-based entrance selection (SNBP) pathway last year.

Arifin’s father is a trader, and his mother is a housewife. He admitted feeling immensely helped by the UGM scholarships. In addition to the KIP-K scholarship, Ilham received educational support from the UGM Alumni Family (Kagama) in Aceh.

He feels very comfortable studying at UGM, which has supportive facilities and a pleasant social environment. He is active in many projects, including participating in a Model United Nations (MUN) event in Singapore and writing articles at the UGM Institute of International Studies (IIS).

In addition to Arifin, Ramzy Oansa Ilham (19) from Rumbuk, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, shared his experience striving to continue his higher education at UGM last year. His father works as an outsourced security guard at a government office.

Ramzy’s family rents a small house in a narrow alley with worn and termite-eaten walls, but this does not dampen Ramzy’s spirit to excel in class. Despite relying on a small study desk in the corner of his room, shared alternately with his younger brother, Ramzy diligently studied to achieve his goal of attending a prestigious university.

Ramzy had a specific reason for entering the UGM Faculty of Law. It started from the social phenomena he observed in his community, where many lower-middle-class people struggled to obtain legal assistance. 

“I want to enter the political world, but I want to study law first so that later, when I enter politics, I can be someone who understands the law,” Ramzy explained.

Ramzy chose UGM as his desired university because he believed it could support his career development. For him, the place where he studies now will determine his future. 

“Many people said, why not just study locally? But we don’t want to be like a frog in a well; we want to step out of our comfort zone,” he added.

Despite coming from an economically disadvantaged family, Ramzy admitted he never felt inferior to his friends on campus. One important thing to apply in the academic environment is how someone can do something according to their capacity. 

Ramzy emphasized that economic conditions are not a barrier to achieving great things. Ramzy will not feel left behind compared to his friends as long as he can do his best in every step of his life.

“Never compare yourself to others, as long as we haven’t tried our best to compete and showcase our best potential,” Ramzy advised.

According to him, being accepted as a UGM student is not easy because one has to compete with many other students from all over Indonesia. However, there is always a way and an opportunity that is widely open for anyone, and those efforts will be worth what one gains when studying at UGM.

Author: Tasya

Editor: Gusti Grehenson

Photographer: Donnie