Brief Overview of the UI Talent Scouting Selection Turmoil
The turmoil surrounding the Universitas Indonesia (UI) Talent Scouting pathway selection has reached Senayan. One of the students who fell victim to UI’s talent scouting programme for outstanding high school students has submitted a complaint letter to Commission X of the House of Representatives after their acceptance status changed within mere hours.
The complaint was filed by Budi—not his real name—who preferred not to disclose his true identity for security reasons. In his letter, Budi recounted that he was initially declared accepted in the selection, but on the same day, the announcement changed, declaring him unsuccessful. “This sudden change has caused confusion, disappointment, and serious questions regarding the integrity and accountability of the selection process,” said Budi on Thursday, 19 March 2026.
He explained that in the selection announcement around 7:00 p.m. WIB, he was declared accepted. However, at 9:30 p.m. WIB on the same day, the announcement status changed to unsuccessful without any valid explanation from UI.
A similar case was experienced by the child of WA, the initials of one of the parents affected by the UI Talent Scouting selection turmoil. He said that his child was initially declared accepted during the initial announcement accessible on Monday night, 17 March 2026.
Evidence of the selection was screenshot and even shared with the child’s friends. However, a few hours later, the system was reported to have experienced disruptions and could not be accessed.
This is where the change occurred. When the system became accessible again at 9:30 p.m. WIB, the child’s acceptance status changed to rejected. “What was green suddenly turned red, even though we have the previous evidence,” said WA when contacted on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
WA stated that he had submitted this complaint through the help centre and email to UI. However, there has been no official statement; the current response only mentions system repairs and reaffirms the 9:30 p.m. results as final.
DPR Response
Deputy Chairman of Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR), Lalu Hadrian Irfani, expressed regret over the turmoil in UI’s new student admissions via the Talent Scouting selection. He assessed that the complaints from students and parents claiming to be victims represent a serious issue.
He questioned the professionalism of UI as the organiser. However, he said, technical errors in the long term cannot legitimise changing the acceptance status of prospective students.
Lalu urged the UI Rector to immediately conduct an investigation accompanied by open clarification to the public. He also requested UI to restore the selection acceptance status to prospective students who were previously declared accepted but later annulled.
“Do not let public trust in a renowned higher education institution like UI be damaged just because of this issue. Student rights must be protected,” said this PKB politician in a written statement on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
UI’s Response
UI has conveyed an apology for the turmoil in the prospective student selection via the Talent Scouting pathway for the Special International Class Undergraduate Programme that occurred on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
UI’s Director of Public Relations, Media, Government, and International Affairs, Erwin Agustian Panigoro, stated that this discrepancy occurred within a 40-minute window after the system displayed non-final data. “This moment can cause confusion and disappointment, especially for applicants who received mismatched information,” Erwin said in a written statement received on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
He directed applicants needing further explanation to email [email protected] as the system has now returned to normal.
Moreover, the selection results displayed on the enrollment.ui.ac.id page are now the final and official results through a fair and transparent process.
Erwin acknowledged understanding the disappointment felt by the applicants. However, he said that those who did not pass the selection can follow other admission pathways. “Thus, opportunities to continue education at UI remain wide open,” he stated.