Committee Considers Permanent Blacklist Sanctions for UTBK Proxy Test-Takers
The SNPMB (National Student Admission Selection Committee) is considering permanent blacklist sanctions for test-takers proven to have used proxy services in the 2026 UTBK SNBT. The proposal emerged after detecting increasingly organised cheating practices during the exam.
SNPMB Chairman Eduart Wolok stated that those using proxy services would be barred from entering public universities, but the duration of the sanctions is still under discussion.
"We blacklist them from public university admissions. So they cannot enter public universities," Wolok said after a press conference at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology in Jakarta on Monday, 25 May 2026.
According to Wolok, recent evaluation meetings proposed various sanction durations. Some committee members suggested a three-year ban from university selection processes, while others pushed for a lifetime blacklist.
"He cannot study, that's certain because he took the exam this year and has already been blacklisted. In our last meeting, some proposed three years, others a lifetime ban," he added.
Wolok said the final decision has not been made as the committee is conducting thorough reviews. He stressed the need for sanctions that would deter the public from using proxy services in university admissions.
He explained that proxy cheating was previously considered individual violations, but since last year, the committee has observed more organised patterns requiring stricter penalties. "Previously, we viewed it as individual. But since last year, we see it's structured," he said.
SNPMB recorded 27 cases of proxy cheating detected during the 2026 UTBK, all found before or during the exam, preventing the involved candidates from taking the test.
Wolok noted most proxy cases were among medical programme applicants, detected on the first and second days of the UTBK when medical programme exams were held.
Overall, SNPMB identified 38 cheating cases and 1,751 violations during the 2026 UTBK, including 27 proxy cases and 11 using prohibited devices. The committee has tightened exam systems with randomised locations, dates, and sessions.
SNPMB also announced cheating findings from the first day of UTBK to prevent similar violations. Besides proxy cases, violations included mismatched documents, automatic photo detection, cheating, mismatched candidate photos, and a technician photographing exam questions.