Unemployed Parent Shocked as Jember University Charges Rp 6 Million Tuition Fee

Hans Sebastian was shocked when Universitas Jember assigned a single tuition fee (UKT) of group VI, or Rp 6 million, to his child. His child was accepted as a prospective student in the Civil Engineering programme at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Jember, through the national test-based selection route (SNBT). The 52-year-old had hoped his child’s tuition fees would be affordable, as he has been out of work since October 2024. He was made redundant by a private company. “To this day, I have not been accepted for a job. Perhaps it is hindered by my age,” Hans said when contacted via a TikTok message on Thursday, 24 June 2026. UKT verification and registration for new prospective students at Universitas Jember via the SNBT route took place from 2 to 4 June 2026. During this process, prospective students could file an appeal. Meanwhile, UKT bill payments were made from 2 to 8 June 2026. Hans subsequently filed an appeal to the university, attaching his redundancy letter from October 2024. He received a Rp 1 million reduction, bringing the UKT down to Rp 5 million. According to Hans, the university assigned a high UKT group because it noted the 1300 VA electricity capacity at his home, placing him in the decile 6 community group. “I could not be placed in decile 4,” Hans said. He hopes that unemployment status will also become a reference in determining the UKT group. He noted that in unstable economic conditions, many parents face redundancy. “On the other hand, they want their children to pursue higher education,” Hans said. He also urged the government to integrate all social and economic data on citizens, suspecting that the government has not yet integrated his latest social data. Based on the Rector of Universitas Jember’s Decree Number 1037/UN25/KU/2026 concerning Education Costs for New Students of Universitas Jember Undergraduate and Vocational Programmes accepted through the Achievement-Based National Selection (SNBP) and Test-Based National Selection (SNBT) in 2026, Universitas Jember sets the UKT paid each semester into six groups. In the Faculty of Engineering, the Civil Engineering Programme sets UKT group I at Rp 500,000, group II at Rp 1,000,000, group III at Rp 3,000,000, group IV at Rp 4,000,000, group V at Rp 5,000,000, and group VI at Rp 6,000,000. Tempo attempted to contact the new student verification and registration committee listed in the Universitas Jember 2026 new student announcement letter, as well as the university’s email, but no response has been received. Previously, data released by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology indicated that around 60,000 prospective students who were declared successful chose not to proceed with the registration or re-registration process.