New National University Enrollment System Hailed as More Efficient

With more diverse study programs being offered by state universities, prospective students are expected to make mature choices as they participate in the 2023 national university enrollment process.

HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Hundreds of participants took the Computer-Based Written Examination-Joint Selection to Enter State Universities at the Jakarta Veterans National Development University in Depok, West Java, Monday (6/7/2020).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The 2023 national university enrollment process gives prospective students a choice in study programs at 137 vocational and academic higher education institutions under the auspices of the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry. The simultaneous student enrollment to academic and vocational degree programs, with graduates earning a bachelor through the former and an associate degree or undergraduate diploma through the latter, are believed to be a more efficient system.

Mochamad Ashari, chairman of the 2023 National Student Admission Selection (SNPMB), spoke about the issue during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (10/1/2023) that announced the opening of the 2023 SNPMB.

As Ashari disclosed, the 137 state universities on the selection list, an increase from 125 last year, consisted of 76 academic state universities, 43 vocational state universities, institutes and polytechnics, and 18 state Islamic tertiary institutions.

“The selection menu is more diverse this year for prospective students. They are free to choose based on their aspirations for the future," said Ashari, who is also the chancellor of the 10th November Institute of Technology in Surabaya.

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Three enrollment routes are available for senior high school graduates to pursue a career in higher education. The first route to open for enrollment is academic performance-based national selection (SNBP). Starting this year, a prospective student’s enrollment eligibility is based on their mean grade from their report cards from the first five semesters, which accounts for 50 percent of the passing grade. The other 50 percent is left to the university’s discretion in assessing the student’s enrollment eligibility based on their academic performance, specifically in two subjects related to the study program of their interest.

"The SNBP route can be followed only by those graduating in 2023,” Ashari said. Final-year students at senior high schools (SMA) and vocational schools (SMK) must create an account to register for the SNBP, as required under the new university enrollment system.

The second enrollment route was the exam-based national selection (SNBT) for graduates of 2023, 2022 and 2021. “The account creation [process] will open in the next stage," he said.

Eased procedures

Nizam, the education ministry’s higher education, research and technology acting director, said prospective students would find it easy to follow this year’s national selection for university programs, which combined vocational and academic state universities.

“With registration at just one click, participants can choose from various options. The selection process is efficient, saving time and costs," he said.

The selection process is efficient, saving time and costs.

Kiki Yuliati, the ministry’s vocational education director, pointed to the new enrollment system as unified and integrated in concept, as mandated in the “Freedom to Learn” policy, with SMA/SMK graduates and equivalency students given more freedom to pursue further study at state universities.

“Those who wish to study in three or four-year vocational diploma programs and academic [undergraduate] degree programs can take part [together] in the selection. So there is no need to bother with registering again due to separate selection processes [like before]," she said.

KOMPAS/ESTER LINCE NAPITUPULU

Launching of the 2023 State University National Selection for New Student Admissions (SNPMB) program in Jakarta, Tuesday (10/1/2023). Present included Acting Director General of Higher Education, Research and Technology Nizam (third from right) and General Chair of the 2023 SNPMB Responsible Team Mochmad Ashari (second from left).

The transformation in the enrollment system to bring together vocational and academic study programs was expected to encourage prospective students and their parents to be more careful about their future education, in that they choose a university not simply for a degree or to follow a trend.

"Students must be aware that continuing their studies at universities is not for a degree, but competence," she said.

“Students should be encouraged to evaluate themselves and plan for the future so that they are serious about choosing a university, not simply follow their friends. It has to be based on what their aspiration is for and what they want for their future," she said.

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Kiki dismissed the notion that vocational institutions, especially those with a diploma 3 (associate degree) program, would be last on the pecking order among prospective students.

“With the joint test, we are screening the interest of prospective students to study in vocational courses," she said.

Meanwhile, Anindoto Aditomo, who heads the ministry’s education Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Agency, said the newly implemented university enrollment system, with the academic performance-based and test-based pathways, aimed to stimulate and challenge elementary and secondary schools to provide more fun and better learning programs.

The academic performance-based selection route expected the students to look at all subjects equally while exploring specific subjects that were relevant to their study program of interest. The test-based selection route no longer simply weighed broad mastery or memorization skills in specific subjects, but reasoning competence.

The state university selection system must be accountable, with clear procedures and criteria.

The new university enrollment system integrated the selection pathways for academic and vocational state universities for prospective students to choose from. This was because vocational education also requires high reasoning and literacy. This was facilitated through scholastic aptitude tests to assess reasoning skills and reading comprehension.

Council of State University Chancellors chairman Ganefri hailed the new university enrollment system as organizationally efficient.

”We want to admit students who are truly eligible and qualified to enter a university. The state university selection system must be accountable, with clear procedures and criteria," he said.

This article was translated by Musthofid.