UGM Calls for Review of Foreign University Expansion in Indonesia
Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Vice Rector for Education and Teaching, Wening Udasmoro, has asked the government to review the granting of permits to foreign universities in Indonesia. Wening requested that government policies remain oriented towards increasing the capacity of national higher education institutions and not merely opening the education market for overseas campuses.
She said the presence of foreign universities needs to be evaluated based on the benefits they provide for the development of national higher education. “These (foreign campuses) are increasing in number, so we need to see whether the presence of foreign higher education institutions in Indonesia is beneficial or not for Indonesia,” Wening said during a hearing with Commission X of the House of Representatives in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.
Wening then highlighted the presence of foreign campuses that have now appeared in several major cities, such as Bandung, Jakarta, and Surabaya. She assessed that the government needs to impose restrictions so that not all foreign higher education institutions can enter Indonesia easily.
“In reality, they come here only to seek money, not to make our higher education institutions more empowered,” she said.
She argued that higher education institutions in Indonesia actually already have adequate capacity to develop and improve their quality. Therefore, she said, the government should instead encourage the strengthening of national higher education institutions rather than opening too much space for foreign campuses.
“We ourselves are actually already very empowered if we maximise what we have,” she said.
This statement was made amid President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to cooperate with Imperial College London to open a higher education institution in Indonesia. Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto said the cooperation is part of the government’s effort to strengthen the national education and research ecosystem.
One form of cooperation being explored is the construction of 10 medical and science universities in Indonesia. Brian said Imperial College London will play a role in supporting the development of these institutions through strengthening curricula, teaching standards, joint research, and the involvement of international professors.
“So, later the curriculum, preparation of teaching standards, joint research, and visiting professors will be carried out extensively together with Imperial College and also other campuses,” Brian said after accompanying Prabowo in receiving a delegation from Imperial College London at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, on Monday, 22 June 2026.