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High school graduates buckle up for state university entrance
State universities are still the favorite choices due to their relatively affordable cost and better quality.
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Dozens of students of SMA 1 Semarang state high school participate in the national exam in Semarang, Central Java. (JP/Suherdjoko)
T
he gates have been opened. The joint entrance test for state universities (SBMPTN) starts on Monday and closes on June 24 for some 2.4 million senior high school graduates churned out by senior high schools this year.
State universities are still the favorite choices due to their relatively affordable cost and better quality when compared to private ones despite a change in intake procedures starting this year.
At least 1.2 million students sat computer-based exams (UTBK) which were held during weekends in two batches on April 13 to May 4 and May 11 to 26. A student’s UTBK score determines which university and major he or she can apply to.
Admission through the SBMPTN itself is not an easy feat. In 2018, there were some 2.9 million senior high school graduates, of which 860,001 took part in SBMPTN and only 165,831 were admitted into state universities.
The SBMPTN is the second chance for senior high school graduates who did not make the cut in a previous process, the SNMPTN, which based its decision on academic records during high school.
This year, only 92,331 students were pre-admitted into state universities through the SNMPTN from 478,608 applicants.
Narendra, an 18-year-old senior high school graduate from Surabaya, has high hopes to enter the medical school at Airlangga University through the SBMPTN.
