Unsoed Rector Sting Operation: Observers Demand Total Evaluation of University Governance and Financing
The sting operation (OTT) conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) against the leadership of Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) is seen as a major momentum to totally evaluate the new student admission selection system and the governance of higher education financing in Indonesia.
Executive Director of Masyarakat Transparansi Indonesia (MTI) Ahmad Jilul Qur’ani Farid stressed that handling corruption cases within campuses must not stop at individual accountability alone, but must target systemic improvements that create loopholes for irregularities.
“Those examined are indeed individuals, but the government must also examine the system that allows irregularities to occur,” Jilul said in an official statement on Friday (21/8/2026).
Jilul reminded that the arrest of Unsoed Rector Akhmad Sodikin along with two Vice-Rectors over alleged conditioning of new student admissions adds to the long list of legal cases at state universities. Similar cases previously ensnared the leadership of Lampung University (Unila) and Udayana University.
According to Jilul, the recurrence of legal cases in the independent admission route occurs because of the high demands on campuses with Public Service Agency (BLU) status or State Universities with Legal Entity (PTN-BH) status to independently collect non-tax state revenue.
The large autonomy space, such as the imposition of Institutional Development Fees (IPI) alongside Single Tuition Fees (UKT), often creates grey areas if not balanced with strong transparency and independent oversight.
“When campuses are required to increase their own revenue while the independent route provides a large space for institutions to manage selection and development levies, transparency and oversight must be much stronger. If the system is not fixed, similar cases risk recurring,” Jilul said.
To prevent recurring irregularities, Jilul urged the KPK to resolve the Unsoed case down to the flow of funds and admission practices from previous years, accompanied by steps from the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) to conduct thematic audits of independent admission routes and development levies at all state universities. At the same time, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is required to openly publish data on quotas, selection criteria, and UKT and IPI components to the public, as well as separate the selection function from the payment receipt function to strengthen the independence of the Internal Supervisory Unit (SPI).
In addition to internal campus improvements, Jilul also asked the Government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to immediately formulate transparent higher education financing standards so that there are clear limits regarding the portion of costs borne by the state and the reasonable burden for students. The evaluation includes a review of Government Regulation Number 26 of 2015 concerning PTN-BH as well as an open evaluation of the composition of the 20 percent education budget in the 2026 State Budget (APBN), so that allocations for higher education are truly on target and do not sacrifice the public.
“What we are pushing for is not eliminating campus autonomy. Rather, autonomy must be accompanied by certainty of financing and independent oversight,” Jilul concluded.
It is known that the KPK secured 14 people in the sting operation in the Purwokerto and Jakarta areas on Thursday (20/8). Twelve people were arrested in Purwokerto, while two others were detained in Jakarta.
“One of the parties detained is the Unsoed Rector (Akhmad Sodiq),” said KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo.
The two people arrested in Jakarta immediately underwent intensive examination at the KPK’s Red and White Building. Meanwhile, the 12 people detained in Purwokerto underwent initial examination at the Banyumas Police Station. After the initial examination, seven people were then taken to Jakarta for further questioning.
“So that up to now, the parties detained in the series of caught-in-the-act events and currently undergoing questioning at the KPK total nine people,” Budi said. In the sting operation, investigators also secured evidence in the form of cash. The KPK stated that the value of the money secured reached hundreds of millions of rupiah.
Budi said the sting operation was related to an alleged layering system in conditioning student admissions, including at the Faculty of Medicine. He said the practice allegedly involved receiving money amounting to hundreds of millions of rupiah so that prospective students could enter the Faculty of Medicine at Unsoed.
“Related to the alleged receipt by state administrators within Unsoed or Jenderal Soedirman University in Purwokerto, it is suspected to be related to student admissions, including at the Faculty of Medicine,” Budi said.