Three Reasons Prospective Students Fail to Re-register at Universities
The Director of Learning and Student Affairs at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), Beny Bandanadjaja, has revealed three main reasons commonly found in the field regarding the phenomenon of prospective students who do not re-register at universities despite having been declared successful in the selection process.
The first reason relates to the choice of study programme. Beny explained that in various test pathways, participants are given the opportunity to choose between three and five study programmes. However, the majority of prospective students have high hopes of being accepted into their first choice.
“So, when they are accepted not in their primary choice, they sometimes consider continuing or postponing until the following year. Thus, there is a possibility that because it does not match their interest, but they happened to be placed in one of their choices. It could also be that they then register through another pathway,” said Beny during the Denpasar 12 webinar on Wednesday (1/7).
The selection committee actually hopes that prospective students will still re-register for whichever choice they are accepted into, whether it is choice 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. This is to prevent empty seats that could otherwise be utilised by other prospective students.
The second reason is acceptance at another higher education institution, particularly government service academies. Beny noted that these academies have a strong appeal because they offer a service bond that guarantees employment after graduation.
“This means they are accepted to become employees at the relevant ministry. Consequently, when they pass in two places, some make that choice,” he added.
The final reason concerns financing and the Kartu Indonesia Pintar (KIP) Kuliah scholarship. Cases have been found where KIP Kuliah applicants were not verified or did not meet the criteria for the assistance after being accepted at a university. This condition leaves prospective students in financial difficulty, leading them to decide not to proceed with the re-registration process.
Kemdiktisaintek clarified that the issue regarding 60,000 prospective students reportedly not re-registering for the National Selection Based on Achievement (SNBP) refers to 2025 data. The high re-registration rate is also supported by an education fee policy oriented towards principles of fairness and affordability.