Higher education is a strong determinant of future employment and economic stability, yet access to it remains unequal in Indonesia. Individuals in the lowest 20% income group—earning only Rp 535,548 to Rp 1.2 million per capita—are classified as the country’s vulnerable group who face the greatest barriers to entering and completing university. UGM is committed to promoting graduation and completion targets for these students who fall into the bottom 20% of household income group.
Since our university implements the Single Tuition Fee (Uang Kuliah Tunggal or UKT) system, students with stronger financial capacity are assigned higher tuition fees, allowing those from wealthier families to indirectly subsidize the education of students from less advantaged economic backgrounds. The implementation of this cross-subsidy system divides UKT into 6 levels. UKT Levels 1 and 2 receive 100% tuition subsidy, Level 3 receives 75% subsidy, Level 4 receives 50% subsidy, Level 5 receives 75% subsidy, and Level 6 receives zero subsidy (meaning they pay the full tuition). At UGM, students who come from households in the lowest 20% income group are categorized into the UKT Levels 1 and 2. In 2024, over 50% of the university’s student body received a subsidized tuition fee.
UGM guarantees that no student will be forced to drop out of the university due to financial difficulties. At the graduation ceremony on August 26-28, 2025, UGM awarded degrees to 3,664 students; 3,150 from undergraduate programs and 514 from vocational programs. Our university targets that all students from the bottom 20% of the household income group will graduate by supporting them with subsidized tuition fees.
The trends in UGM’s graduation statistics reveal a growing number of graduates from low-income households. In 2022, 19% of graduates came from these households, increasing to 36% in later ceremonies. This upward trend indicates that UGM is successfully fulfilling university targets to provide financial support to students from low-income households.
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