196 UISU Medical Students Retaking Exams Demand Registration for National Doctor's Competency Test

A total of 196 alumni from the Faculty of Medicine at the Islamic University of North Sumatra (UISU) who are retaking their exams are urging the university to immediately register them for the National Competency Test for the Medical Education Program (UKNPDPD), the deadline for which is Monday, February 23, 2026, at 5:00 PM. If they are not registered, they face the risk of being dropped out (DO).

One of the retakers, Ika Puspita Daulay, traveled from Riau to Medan early in the morning, carrying her child, to fight for her right to take the national exam. She and her colleagues gathered at the UISU campus on Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Medan, on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. “We are only asking to be registered for this new system. Who knows, maybe we will pass,” said Ika in the campus administration office.

The Doctor’s Degree Determining Exam

The UKNPDPD is a mandatory national exam for prospective doctors in Indonesia. The exam consists of a Computer Based Test (CBT) and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Participants who pass are entitled to hold the title of doctor and obtain a practice license.

This year, the exam is organized by an Ad Hoc Team involving the College and the Directorate General of Higher Education (Dikti) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdik-Saintek).

The UISU retakers claim to have completed five years of education in accordance with government regulations and meet the administrative requirements, including being actively registered in the Higher Education Database (PDDikti) and completing clinical clerkships.

However, they say the campus is reluctant to register them due to issues with the study period exceeding the limit.

Already Taken the Exam Dozens of Times

Ika admitted to having taken the CBT exam 22 times without passing, even though she passed the OSCE in 2015. She even attended tutoring sessions in Jakarta and Padang. “I was pregnant and breastfeeding, but I still took the exam because I wanted to become a doctor,” she said.

According to her, participants only receive a final score without knowing the correct or incorrect answers. The passing threshold is set at 66 percent. She also said that there are colleagues with a GPA of 4.00 who still do not pass.

Each exam requires a large cost. For one rotation, it ranges from Rp 850,000 to more than Rp 1 million, with four exams per year. The practical exam is said to cost between Rp 5-10 million. “If you calculate it, I may have spent more than Rp 1 billion. My brother and I may have spent more than Rp 2 billion,” said Ika.

Ika said that when she visited the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at UISU, Mayang Sari Ayu, she was told that the dean was worried about losing her job if she met their request. “We have the recording,” she said.

Another retaker, Sofyan Simbolon, said that this exam is the last obstacle to achieving the title of doctor. Many of his colleagues have switched professions. He even claims that there are retakers in other regions who have experienced severe depression and committed suicide. “This is the last step to make our parents happy. Why aren’t we being registered?” he said.

Mika Wirdani, another retaker, questioned the campus’s reasons. “We have met the requirements. If we are not registered, 196 alumni will be at risk of being dropped out. Meanwhile, the President says that Indonesia is lacking doctors,” she said.

Campus Response

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at UISU, Mayang Sari Ayu, denied that the campus is doing nothing. She stated that the faculty has communicated with the deans of other medical faculties and attended a meeting with the ministry on February 5, 2026, to discuss the possibility of registering retakers.

“The decision is not in the hands of the faculty because it concerns national regulations and ministry policies. We are still looking for the best solution,” she said briefly.

As of this article’s publication, there has been no official statement from the ministry regarding the status of the registration of the 196 retakers.