Local Governments Urged to Introduce Regional KIP Kuliah Scheme
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) is urging local governments to introduce regional scholarship schemes to broaden access to higher education. This scheme is expected to complement the central Kartu Indonesia Pintar Kuliah (KIP Kuliah) programme, which is deemed insufficient to reach all students.
The Director General of Higher Education at Kemendiktisaintek, Muhammad Najib, stated that the central government currently provides scholarships to around 950,000 KIP Kuliah recipients. However, this number is inadequate to significantly drive up higher education participation rates.
“That is why we are encouraging local governments to issue a Regional KIP, so that local children can attend university, even through bonded service schemes to return and develop their regions,” Najib said when met at the Kemendiktisaintek office in South Jakarta on Monday, 13 April 2026.
This proposal also responds to the widespread issue of students defaulting on single tuition fees (UKT) due to economic difficulties. The high number of students unable to pay tuition fees puts them at risk of dropping out.
According to Najib, several regions such as Jakarta have already implemented local scholarship programmes. This model is seen as replicable by other regions to expand higher education access.
Najib noted that Indonesia’s current gross higher education participation rate stands at around 34%. The government targets increasing this to 39% by 2029. Achieving even a one percent increase requires an additional 750,000 new students. “Relying solely on the central KIP Kuliah is not enough. Collaboration with local governments and the private sector is needed,” he said.
In addition to encouraging local governments, Kemendiktisaintek is inviting companies through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes to provide scholarships. Several companies, Najib said, have begun contributing to higher education funding.
On the other hand, the government is also working to maintain a balance between public (PTN) and private (PTS) universities. This includes limiting new student intake quotas at PTNs to prevent continuous increases, and regulating selection schedules to give PTS more room to recruit students.
Najib believes that increasing higher education access does not depend solely on funding, but also on the relevance of study programmes to industry needs. He is encouraging universities, especially PTS, to offer programmes that adapt to changing times, such as artificial intelligence and data science fields. “The most important thing is the guarantee after graduation. If there is certainty of absorption into industry, it will become an attraction for prospective students,” he said.