Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held the Graduation Ceremony for Undergraduate and Diploma Programs, Period IV of the Academic Year 2024/2025. On the second day of the ceremony, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, at Grha Sabha Pramana, UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia conferred degrees on 1,245 graduates out of a total of 3,664 graduates in this period. The 1,245 undergraduate graduates came from six faculties: Philosophy, Engineering, Dentistry, Law, and Social and Political Sciences.
Leading the graduation ceremony on the second day, Rector Emilia reaffirmed UGM’s commitment to preparing graduates with excellence, innovation, and adaptability.
With this commitment, graduates are expected to gain comprehensive knowledge and skills, enabling them not only to expand job opportunities but also to create new ones, foster entrepreneurial mindsets and character, build collaborative networks with industries, and develop the creative sector to strengthen national self-reliance.
“Through community service programs (KKN-PPM), strengthening MSMEs, and the inclusive education paradigm, UGM students continuously develop their competencies and critical thinking skills while engaging more closely with social realities,” she said.
Ajar Edi, Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory and Government Affairs at PT Indosat, as well as Head of the Cooperation and Inter-Institutional Relations Division of PP KAGAMA, encouraged UGM graduates not to hesitate in pursuing careers with global companies. Although a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy at UGM, he explained that global corporations provide roles suitable for graduates from diverse academic backgrounds.
With extensive experience at global companies such as Chevron, Microsoft, and Indosat, Edi noted that many global firms embody values aligned with those cultivated at UGM.
He went on to share three key principles for succeeding in global companies.
The first is inclusivity, which serves as a core value because these companies operate worldwide.
“Their employees come from diverse countries, religions, and cultures. At UGM, it is the same; everyone has friends from across Indonesia, and even from other countries. They bring different cultures, languages, and perspectives. What matters is how diversity can drive progress and foster collaboration,” he explained.
Secondly, according to Edi, is the spirit of serving the people, or in other words, empathy.
UGM has taught its graduates to practice empathy and to benefit others.
Success is measured by how one can help organizations thrive for the benefit of society, contribute to the success of others, and only then achieve personal success.
“For global companies, empathy is the lifeblood of collaboration. The third is the spirit of humility. UGM graduates are undoubtedly known for being humble. However, in the context of pursuing a career in industry, humility must not be mistaken for a lack of confidence. Every company needs innovation to survive, and the energy for that lies in competitiveness and perseverance. For those graduates who enjoy Korean dramas, you are surely familiar with the word fighting,” he said.
Edi expressed confidence that by nurturing these three UGM values, graduates will certainly become people of integrity, ready to excel in any industry.
He further noted that success would be more complete if graduates embraced a fourth key, which is building friendships or networks, known in Javanese as srawung or kekancan.
“This can begin by actively participating in KAGAMA. Having many friends in KAGAMA will open doors to various new opportunities, whether at the central, faculty, departmental, or community level,” he added.
Representing the graduates, Yunanto Budi Prasetyo stated that learning is not only about theories in the classroom, but also about life journeys, interactions with others, and real experiences that shape one’s worldview.
He believed that knowledge and achievements never come easily, but are always accompanied by hard work, tears, and uncertainties.
According to Prasetyo, it is precisely through such processes that individuals are shaped by challenges, becoming resilient and ready to face the future.
“On this journey, I am reminded of the words of geologist James Hutton: the present is the key to the past. This means that what exists today is the key to all processes that occurred in the past, just as the journey we have taken is part of the process of preparing for the future,” said the graduate from the UGM Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM).
On the second day of the undergraduate graduation ceremony, the average study duration recorded was 4 years and 2 months.
The fastest completion was achieved by five graduates who finished their studies in 3 years, 8 months, and 5 days, one of whom was Demetria Dahayu Kayla Didrika from the Urban and Regional Planning Program, FT UGM.
The average age of undergraduate graduates was 22 years, 6 months, and 15 days, while the youngest graduate was Duiddo Imaani Mohammad from the UGM Faculty of Law (FH UGM), who completed his degree at the age of 20 years, 5 months, and 11 days.
The average GPA of undergraduate graduates in this period was 3.59.
A total of 2,224 graduates (70.60%) earned cum laude honors, 863 graduates (27.40%) graduated with very satisfactory distinction, 41 graduates (1.30%) earned a satisfactory predicate, and 22 graduates (0.70%) graduated without distinction.
Meanwhile, the highest GPA was achieved by Stephani Gabriella Wijayawati from FH UGM with a perfect 4.00.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographer: Donnie Trisfian