Bali Education, Youth and Sports Office Changes SMA/SMK Admissions Pattern for 2026, Now Using Academic Ability Test Scores
Bali’s Department of Education, Youth and Sports (Disdikpora) has revised the intake pattern for new students at senior high schools and vocational high schools (SMA/SMK) across Bali for the 2026/2027 academic year. The admission system will use an Academic Ability Test (TKA) as the primary assessment in the Student Admission System (SPMB).
Head of Bali’s Disdikpora, Ida Bagus Gde Wesnawa Punia, explained that the policy is applied by referencing the previous system that relied on report card grades, which were not fully reflective of students’ academic abilities. According to him, report-card grades tended to be higher than the students’ actual performance.
“If we look at the TKA results, honestly, it is quite disheartening. The average scores in Bali remain below the national standard, especially in Mathematics and Indonesian language,” Wesnawa said when interviewed at the Bali Disdikpora, on Wednesday (4 March 2026).
Wesnawa explained that the selection system had relied heavily on report cards. However, the existing report cards did not reflect actual academic ability; instead they were inflated and difficult to differentiate between students. “The report-card grades are almost always correct,” Wesnawa said. “As a result, we found it difficult to map students’ abilities. Therefore, from 2026 we have agreed to use TKA scores to ensure the selection is fairer and more objective.”
Data on average TKA scores for Bali’s SMA/SMK students remain well short of expectations, a situation receiving serious attention. Moreover, Bali aims to prepare human resources capable of competing at national and global levels.
Under this admission policy, Bali’s Disdikpora implements four admission routes: domicile, affirmation, achievement, and mutation. In the selection process, in addition to the TKA scores, the office also uses report-card grades, distance from domicile to the school, and the student’s age.
This policy is an upstream reform aimed at addressing the issue from the source. “We want to improve quality from the outset. If academic quality is mapped from the start when entering senior high school, subsequent development can be more targeted,” Wesnawa said.
He also stressed that the policy aligns with national policy. Bali’s Disdikpora will soon socialise the changes to the public to ensure parents and prospective students understand the changes. “This is not a policy that is abrupt. We want the public to understand that the aim is to improve Bali’s education quality and human resources in the future,” Wesnawa said.
The provisions for the Student Admission System (SPMB) are regulated by the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation (Permendikdasmen) No. 3 of 2025 on SPMB. The assessment components include:
Academic Ability Test (TKA) scores: Mathematics and Indonesian language
Report-card grades: semesters 1–5
Distance from domicile to the target school
Age of the prospective student
The SPMB capacity for Bali’s SMA/SMK in 2026/2027, under Permendikdasmen No. 3 of 2025, is allocated as follows for each admission route:
- Domicile Route
Domicile route is for prospective students who reside in the school’s catchment area according to the population data on the address.
Assessment components:
TKA
Report-card
Distance from domicile to the school
Age of the prospective student
Quota:
SMA: 25-35% of school capacity
SMK: 8% of school capacity
- Affirmation Route
The affirmation route is for prospective students from families with limited means and for inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Assessment components:
Economically disadvantaged (Affirmation)
TKA
Report-card
Distance from domicile to the school
Age of the prospective student
Inclusion (persons with disabilities)
Distance from domicile to the school
Age of the prospective student
Quota:
SMA: 5% for disabled students; 15% for families in need
SMK: 15% of school capacity
- Achievement Route
The achievement route is for prospective students with academic or non-academic achievements, including sport, arts, culture, and leadership.
Assessment components:
TKA
Weighting of achievements
Academic achievements (research, science and technology)
Arts, Culture and Balinese language achievements
Sports achievements
National Arts, Culture and Language achievements
Leadership (Head of Student Council, Head of MPK, Head of Scouts, Head of BES)
Quota:
SMA: 40-50% of school capacity
SMK: 75% of school capacity
- Mutation Route
The mutation route is for students who follow a transfer of parental/guardian duties and children of teachers who enrol in the school where their parents teach.
Assessment components:
Distance from domicile to the school
Age of the prospective student
Quota:
- SMA and SMK: 5% of school capacity
Bali SPMB Schedule for 2026/2027
The admission stages for Bali’s SMA/SMK have been set by Disdikpora Bali, and prospective students and parents may prepare in advance.
Registration: 22-26 June 2026
Announcement of selection results: 3 July 2026 (12:00 WITA)
Re-enrolment: 6-8 July 2026 (open 6 July 08:00 WITA and close 8 July 14:00 WITA)
MPLS: starting 13 July 2026
(hsa/hsa)