ITB offers new entry test for 45 million
ITB offers new entry test for 45 million
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java
In a bid to free itself from state subsidies, the Bandung
Institute of Technology (ITB) will allow applicants to pay Rp 45
million (about US$5,000) and take a special test to enter the
institute, where competition for places is among the country's
toughest.
ITB deputy rector for academic and student affairs Adang
Surahman said on Wednesday that ITB hoped to raise Rp 10 billion
to Rp 12 billion through the new entrance test this year.
"We will accept 300 students through the special selection
process, in addition to around 2,000 students who pass the New
Students Entry Selection (SPMB)," Adang told a media briefing.
He gave an assurance that despite its Rp 45 million cost, the
special test would be of similar difficulty as the nationwide
SPMB.
Students would neither receive any special treatment nor
facilities from the campus.
But those who paid Rp 45 million to take the new test, he
said, would be given psychometric and skills tests, apart from
the SPMB mandatory test.
This selection would ensure students entered faculties that
best suited their interests, talents and capabilities, he
explained.
They must also pay a higher annual tuition fee of Rp 4 million
to Rp 5 million. Normally the fee ranges from Rp 3.4 million to
Rp 4 million, depending on the student's faculty.
Senior high school graduates take the nationwide SPMB test to
enroll in state-owned universities or institutes. Apart from
offering cheaper tuition, state universities are often more
reputable than private ones.
Adang said that students who failed ITB's special selection
process could try their luck through the SPMB.
He added the special selection process would also fill places
that were left vacant every year by students who had passed the
SPMB but could not afford ITB's tuition fees.
Every year, around 7 percent of the 2,000 ITB entrants fail to
register themselves for a variety of reasons, including
financial, he said.
ITB's move to tap more revenue from students is part of its
attempt to become financially independent from the government.
The government plans to phase out subsidy spending across the
universities, forcing many to seek ways of raising their own
money. Universities have until 2005 to raise adequate funds for
themselves.
Founded in 1920, and the place where Indonesia's first
president Soekarno graduated, ITB needs around Rp 240 billion to
cover its annual operating costs.
At present the institute receives Rp 70 billion in subsidy
from the state. It obtains another Rp 100 billion through third-
party cooperation and Rp 20 billion from student tuition fees.