Academia
When university admission is earned by merit but decided by the wallet, Indonesia doesn't just lose students—it forfeits its future.
University students hold placards during a protest outside the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on June 19, 2026.against government policies, including state budget spending, fuel price hike, free nutritious meal program and expanded military roles in civilian affairs. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
Every year, we celebrate the students who pass the fiercely competitive selection process for public universities. Yet, a critical piece of the narrative is routinely overlooked: those who earn a seat but never arrive.Reportedly, roughly 60,000 applicants accepted into state universities ultimately fail to reregister. These individuals are not rejected by the admissions system; they are stopped after the fact by tuition bills, living costs, mismatched programs, or delayed scholarship verifications. Consequently, the country is losing vital talent not at the examination gate, but at the payment counter.
Higher education should serve as the bridge between ability and opportunity. When admitted students must withdraw because their families cannot afford the fees, that bridge effectively becomes a toll road. For a country that has positioned Golden Indonesia 2045 at the center of its national vision, this is no minor administrative hiccup. It is a stark warning about the socio-economic barriers embedded within the nation's development model.
