University students worry over new costly admission charges

University students worry over new costly admission charges

The Jakarta Post, Depok/Yogyakarta/Surabaya

Despite their elation upon finding out they secured a place at a
state university, students on Friday said they were a little
worried about how they were going to pay for their education, as
this year admission fees have been imposed.

The students were among those accepted by the University of
Indonesia, and Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta -- two
state universities that have become autonomous. As such they are
allowed to raise public funds and are no longer subsidized by the
government.

Utami Widya Ningsih, who was accepted to the University of
Indonesia's (UI) School of Engineering, said her father, a civil
servant, would retire next month. New students of the engineering
school can expect to pay some Rp 25 million.

She said she had dreamed of going to university, even as a
little girl. "If my dad can't afford it, I will have to ask that
my fees are waived," she said.

As of this year, new students studying at the UI have to pay
admission fees of between Rp 5 million (US$562) and Rp 25
million, plus a tuition fee of Rp 1.475 million for natural
science majors, and Rp 1.275 million for social science -- each
semester.

Thus, effective this year, UI students need between Rp 2.5
million to Rp 9.2 million annually, depending on their choice of
study.

Students at the UI have protested against the new policy,
although its management maintains that poor students would
receive special consideration if they submitted a letter of
recommendation from their subdistrict chief, their parents'
salary slips and electricity bills for the last three months.

In Yogyakarta, student protests over the new fees marred the
UGM's announcement of admission test results.

UGM student executive body president Romi Ardiansah said the
student body was opening a center to help students whose families
could not afford to pay their fees.

Like the UI, the UGM obliges students to pay admission fees of
up to Rp 20 million. Aside from a fixed tuition fee amounting to
Rp 500,000, UGM students of natural sciences have to pay Rp
75,000 for each credit, and social science students, Rp 65,000.

In total, their annual fees range from Rp 3.52 million to Rp
9.15 million.

Admission test results are available on the Internet and
published by a number of newspapers, yet many students, including
some in Surabaya, still feel the need to check university
announcement boards for their names.

Nur Intan, who was accepted to study literature at Airlangga
University, said that reading her name on the campus board felt
"more convincing" than seeing it in the newspaper.