UMY Freshman Numbers Continue to Shrink Due to Public University Selection, Here Are Its Strategies

Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) has acknowledged that a downward trend in new student numbers in recent years is beginning to affect the campus. The university is devising special strategies, ranging from efficiency measures to opening new study programmes needed by the community. This was conveyed by UMY Rector, Prof Dr Achmad Nurmandi. He said the number of new student applicants at UMY has been continuously declining since 2022. Whereas the number of applicants previously reached around 25,000 people, the figure has now fallen to around 18,000 people. “Since 2022 it has been declining. Previously our applicants were nearly 25,000, then they decreased and decreased. Last year, applicants were only 18,000. So, there has been a drop of almost 4,000 to 5,000 applicants over the last five years,” said Nurmandi when met at the UMY Campus, Bantul, on Tuesday (9/6/2026). According to him, the decline in the number of applicants has a direct impact on the number of students admitted. This year, UMY has recorded around 12,000 applicants. Of that number, around 3,000 prospective students applied through scholarship pathways. Nurmandi admitted that the reduction in new student numbers means the campus must make budget adjustments. However, the efficiencies do not touch the main sectors related to the quality of education. “Yes, we automatically adjust various costs. Especially costs related to things other than lecturers’ salaries,” he said. He stressed that the budgets for lecturers’ salaries, research, community service, and student mobility will be maintained. “But for lecturers’ salaries, research, community service, student mobility, that remains, there is no decrease. But for other things that are not necessary, there will certainly be efficiency,” he said. One form of efficiency being implemented, said Nurmandi, is reducing activities that require large costs, including some international mobility activities. “Efficiency, for example, overseas mobility is reduced because it is expensive now,” he said. Nonetheless, Nurmandi said the university still maintains its international programmes, which are one of the campus’s strengths. This year, UMY is still sending more than a thousand students to participate in programmes abroad with subsidised support from the campus. “That is our excellence. This year, more than 1,000 are incoming, and more than 1,000 are outgoing. We give them subsidies for tickets and so forth,” he explained. According to him, the challenges are getting bigger because travel costs and living costs abroad continue to rise. This condition is exacerbated by the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate against foreign currencies. “Especially to Europe, it is very expensive now. With the increase in ticket prices and living costs due to the dollar, the rupiah weakening, this is quite difficult,” he said. On the other hand, UMY is also taking strategic steps to navigate the decline in new students. One of these is opening new study programmes considered to meet the needs of the community. “Our internal strategy is to add study programmes that we think are needed by the community. For example, sports coaching, AI (artificial intelligence), digital business, psychology, maybe later criminology and peace and conflict,” he concluded.