297 Medical Students Deactivated After Failing Competency Exam
A total of 297 repeat examinees of the National Competency Examination for Medical Profession Students (UKNPDPD) have been deactivated from their status as medical profession programme students as of May 2026. They hail from 30 medical faculties across various universities and were declared to have exceeded the maximum study period without successfully passing the competency exam.
The policy is stipulated in the Director General of Higher Education’s Letter Number 337/DST/B.B2/DT/02.00/2026 concerning the List of Students Exceeding Study Period as of May 2026, issued on 15 May 2026. The data on the deactivated students was presented by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during a working meeting of House Commission IX with the Health Minister and the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology on Monday (8/6/2026).
Minister Budi stated that Indonesia is projected to face a doctor shortage until 2032. With an estimated need for approximately 255,420 doctors, the country is expected to have only 162,220 doctors by that year. This projection is based on empirical modelling that accounts for epidemiological burdens and estimated healthcare workforce needs over a 10-year horizon, incorporating discussions with medical colleges and correction factors from population patterns and disease burdens, without accelerating doctor production. “So we really need doctors,” Budi said.
He added that Indonesia also faces issues with the competency exam. Based on reports from participants, he noted that thousands of repeat examinees have yet to pass. According to UKMPPD exam reports from 2016 to 2024, 2,623 repeat examinees did not pass the competency exam. Of these, 37 percent had taken the exam more than three times and have been followed up by the Ministry of Higher Education. “And there are around 297 who, if they fail one more time, will lose their right to graduate. So this is a problem we are hearing from the field,” he said.
Budi proposed that medical faculties with high numbers of repeat examinees or pending graduates should have their admission quotas reviewed. “If a faculty produces many graduates with a Bachelor of Medicine degree but they repeatedly fail the competency exam, then its quota should be reduced until they can genuinely improve their education quality,” he stated. He also suggested that faculties provide guidance for repeat examinees by involving the Medical College.
Furthermore, Budi proposed substance-based remediation, allowing repeat examinees to retake only the specific exam components they failed. For example, if a student passed 8 out of 10 exam subjects, the retake would only cover the 2 failed subjects. “We are also discussing with the Indonesian Health Council whether it is possible to only remediate the competencies that were not passed,” he said.
Regarding complaints that repeat examinees must continue paying tuition fees while waiting for the next exam despite having completed their studies, Budi recommended waiving these fees. Deputy Minister of Higher Education Fauzan confirmed that the Director General had issued a letter instructing universities not to charge tuition fees if no further learning process is taking place and the student is merely awaiting the next competency exam schedule. Fauzan added that universities have the option to offer students a transfer to another study programme using their Bachelor of Medicine degree if they are unable to complete the professional programme. A letter from the Director of Learning and Student Affairs to deans and a letter from the Director General of Higher Education to rectors in May 2026 also warned of sanctions for universities failing to implement the provided solutions.