Ombudsman: Unsoed Corruption Scandal is a Momentum to Ensure Transparent Student Admissions
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia (ORI) has emphasised that the recent exposure of corruption at Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) serves as a critical momentum for all higher education institutions to ensure that new student admission processes adhere to the principles of transparent, professional, and accountable public service.
Ombudsman RI member Nuzran Joher stated that, as an institution overseeing public services, the agency views the student admission process as an essential service that must provide legal certainty for the public and prospective students. “The public must know from the outset all service components, including requirements, selection timelines, official fee details, the selection process flow, result announcements, and where they can report irregularities,” Nuzran said in Jakarta on Thursday.
He noted that while independent selection tracks (jalur mandiri) fall under the internal authority of universities, this authority must be balanced with clear, transparent, and accountable service standards. The Ombudsman is paying serious attention to the governance of student admissions across various state universities, including independent tracks.
Responding to the alleged corruption in the independent selection process currently being handled by law enforcement at Unsoed, Nuzran argued that the incident serves as a loud alarm regarding the sub-optimal transparency of public service standards and the lack of effective monitoring and evaluation, both within campuses and from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek).
“ORI respects the ongoing legal process and leaves the material evidence entirely to the law enforcement agencies,” he said. The Ombudsman also reminded Unsoed management to ensure that teaching, learning, and academic services for students continue normally without disruption.
Furthermore, the Ombudsman requested Kemendiktisaintek to immediately evaluate regulations, governance systems, and service standards for university entrance examinations to guarantee an objective, accountable process free from conflicts of interest. University leaders were also urged to maintain service standards and optimise continuous internal supervision.
The Ombudsman advised the public, particularly prospective students and parents, to monitor official university information channels and avoid any practices involving unofficial payments. If the public discovers suspected maladministration, procedural deviations, or illegal levies in the university admission process, they are encouraged to submit official complaints through the Ombudsman RI complaint channels, both at the Central Office and Representative Offices across Indonesia.
Previously, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducted a sting operation (OTT) involving several parties from the Unsoed Rectorate on 20 August 2026. A day later, the KPK named the Rector of Unsoed, Prof. Akhmad Sodiq, the Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Prof. Norman Arie Prayogo, the Head of Academic Affairs, Eko Sumanto, Mulyono (Sodiq’s nephew), as well as intermediaries Dian Mulia Wardhana and Adhi Wiharto, as suspects in the alleged corruption case regarding Unsoed student admissions.
The KPK suspects that Norman, through Dian and Adhi, extorted the parents of prospective students for up to Rp650 million to secure admission to the Faculty of Medicine, though the students were ultimately not admitted. Additionally, the KPK suspects Sodiq instructed his nephew to accept payments from prospective parents totaling Rp680 million during 2025–2026. This money was allegedly used by Sodiq to purchase three plots of land, registered under Mulyono’s name. Finally, the KPK suspects Sodiq granted approval access to Eko after the Head of Academic Affairs received Rp1.12 billion from a middleman who is a teacher during the 2025–2026 period.