Admission test rules eased for applicants
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Any high school senior who recently failed the national final exams recently will be treated the same as other high school students when they take the admission tests to state universities this year.
The national committee for the admission test (SPMB) decided not to implement a recently changed policy on the requirements for applicants considering as the universities need more time to disseminate the new procedures to the public.
"As it is a new policy implemented for high school graduates this year, it might confuse the applicants and become unfair," the director of the central committee for the test, Boedi Santoso, told reporters on Friday.
The new policy states that students competing for admission to state universities have to show their graduation diplomas and documents certifying that they passed the national exams. The students that failed will be given a second chance to take the national exams as soon as they are admitted to universities, but if they fail they must leave school.
"It would be pretty confusing for applicants, as the admission will also be available for graduates from the previous years in 2002 and 2001, when such a system did not exist," Boedi said.
About 10.6 percent from the total of 900,000 students who took the national final exam this year failed.
There will be 82,950 seats on offer in 48 state universities across the country. With an estimated number of applicants reaching 400,000 this year, only about one out of five will be accepted.
The number of students taking the admission tests is expected to rise by 10 percent from last year, added Boedi.
The tests will be held on July 1 and July 2.
Last month, two prominent universities, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), organized the admission tests for students who were willing to pay more for their study in the universities. There were around 1,000 seats available, which require those who passed to pay Rp 10 million to UGM and Rp 45 million to ITB each year. The fees at the publicly financed universities are well above the fees at most private universities in the country.
Boedi said the "commercial scheme" would not affect the normal admission tests.
"This year we have two new other universities with the SPMB, the Islamic State University in Banten and the Trunojoyo University in Madura, so there will be additional seats," he said.
The admission forms could be bought either collectively at respective high schools or at 46 branches of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) around the country.
Forms will be available at Rp 95,000 (US$11.18) for either one option (science or liberal arts) and Rp 120,000 for both options.
Collective purchases have started, but forms distributed through the bank will not begin until June 16. The registration will be closed on June 27.
Materials tested include general knowledge, hard science knowledge and liberal arts.
Scholarships will also be available from the committee for 3,000 impoverished students during their first year at a university. The scholarships also cover registration fees, transportation and accommodation when they take the selection tests.