ITB's Undergraduate Student Quota for 2026 Cut by 12 Percent
The government has slashed the new undergraduate student capacity at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) for 2026 by up to 12.3 percent. ITB’s Director of Student Admissions, Achmad Syarief, stated that the institution initially proposed a quota of around 5,100 students. “However, what was approved and set is 4,470,” he told Tempo on Saturday, 28 March 2026.
The determination of the 2026 new student quota for state universities was carried out by the Directorate of Higher Education. According to Syarief, in addition to ITB, almost all state campuses are experiencing a reduction in capacity. The quota reduction becomes even clearer when broken down into percentages for the national selection based on achievements and tests or SNBP and SNBT, as well as independent selection. “The consequence is that the new student admission selection will now be even tighter,” he said. On the other hand, according to Syarief, the reduction in undergraduate capacity aligns with ITB’s strategic plan to further increase the number of postgraduate students.
For the SNBT pathway, whose registration is currently open from 25 March to 7 April 2026, almost all ITB study programmes have had their quotas reduced. From the national selection website for new student admissions, for example, the capacity for the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology has become 130 from 151 seats in 2025. Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering (115), School of Pharmacy (56), School of Biological Sciences and Technology (42), and Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 100 people.
Meanwhile, in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MIPA), specifically mathematics it has become 60 from 67 seats in 2025, while specifically for natural sciences it has become 98 from 138 last year. The School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI), which is considered a favourite, has a quota for the computing option of 67 seats, while the engineering option is only for 75 people.
The quota for the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design is now 110, Architecture (28), Regional and Urban Planning at ITB’s Bandung campus (35), while at the Cirebon campus 30 people. In addition, there are also quotas that have been increased, such as the ITB School of Business and Management becoming 55 from previously 54 people.
The quota cut at ITB is also evident in the SNBP pathway, whose results screening without entrance tests will be announced on 31 March 2026. Among those with significant reductions, the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology is 90 people from 165 seats in 2025. Then the Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering becomes 80 people from 140 last year, the Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering now only accepts 70 people from previously 124 new students.