Following Unsoed sting operation, legislator urges audit of state university independent admission pathways

Jakarta (ANTARA) - House of Representatives Commission III member Abdullah has asked the government to conduct a nationwide audit of new student admissions through the independent pathway at state universities following a sting operation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) at Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed).

Abdullah said in Jakarta on Sunday that the alleged corruption case in independent pathway admissions must be taken seriously because a similar case previously occurred at Lampung University (Unila) in 2022 and ensnared its rector as a suspect.

“Now at Unsoed, previously at Unila, this must be taken seriously. We must not only investigate the individuals, but also fix the system,” Abdullah said.

According to him, the case involving alleged demands for money amounting to hundreds of millions of rupiah from parents of prospective students must be a concern because independent pathway admissions are an important part of university governance.

He assessed that if the admissions process can be influenced by money or certain access, this not only damages meritocracy but also public trust in universities.

Abdullah said the Unsoed case should be a momentum to re-evaluate the independent pathway admissions system nationally.

According to him, the government must not wait for similar cases to emerge at other universities before making improvements.

He urged that an audit of independent pathway admissions at state universities be conducted nationally with coordination involving the KPK to close loopholes for corruption.

Abdullah stressed that the audit is not aimed at finding fault with universities, but at ensuring the independent pathway admissions system is not exploited for personal or group interests.

Previously, the KPK named Unsoed Rector Akhmad Sodiq and five other people as suspects in an alleged corruption case related to new student admissions.

The KPK suspects that corrupt practices related to new student admissions at Unsoed took place in 2025–2026.

One of the suspects, Unsoed Vice Rector for Student Affairs Norman Arie Prayogo, allegedly demanded money through two intermediaries from the parents of a prospective new student at the Faculty of Medicine.

The KPK said the two intermediaries allegedly demanded Rp650 million for one prospective student to be accepted at Unsoed’s Faculty of Medicine.