UIN Jakarta and Global Mandiri Senior High School Explore Strategic Partnership, Expanding Special Admission Opportunities for Outstanding Students

AAKK Bureau Meeting Room, UIN Online News – UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta has officially initiated a strategic partnership with SMA Global Mandiri Jakarta to broaden access to undergraduate admissions through talent scouting and portfolio-based selection. The initiative aims to strengthen the quality of incoming students by attracting graduates from internationally oriented, technology-driven secondary schools and filling places in the university's leading faculties through more competitive admission pathways. The meeting took place at the Bureau of Academic Administration, Student Affairs, and Cooperation (AAKK) on Monday (20 April 2026).

The meeting was attended by Head of the Bureau of Academic Administration, Student Affairs, and Cooperation, Sri Ilham Lubis; Head of the Center for Information and Public Relations, Zaenal Muttaqin; Head of the Admissions Center, Rachmat Baihaky; Principal of SMA Global Mandiri Jakarta, Ikhwan Ma’rufi; along with the deans of UIN Jakarta's faculties and their respective teams.

In her remarks, Sri Ilham Lubis explained that the university is committed to improving the quality of its student intake nationwide. The initiative responds to the significant increase in applications received by UIN Jakarta for the 2025/2026 academic year. With approximately 42,000 active students across 95 academic programs, the university is now prioritizing partnerships with highly accredited secondary schools to strengthen its performance under the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) established for the university.

“While many universities have experienced a decline in new student enrollment, UIN Jakarta has continued to grow. We currently have around 42,000 active students and remain the oldest State Islamic University in Indonesia, with the largest number of full professors among State Islamic Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN). We are committed to continuously improving our institutional performance indicators, which requires us to develop effective strategies and further promote UIN Jakarta's academic excellence,” she said.

Responding to the opportunity, Ikhwan Ma’rufi emphasized the importance of aligning an Apple Distinguished School with a university that embraces technological innovation. According to him, providing a dedicated admission pathway is particularly valuable for families seeking credible higher education options before the conclusion of the national university admission process.

He also highlighted the university's strengths, particularly the Faculty of Psychology, which ranks among the top five nationally according to the Times Higher Education rankings, and the Faculty of Science and Technology, which has obtained several international accreditations.

“We are progressing toward becoming an Apple Distinguished School, with iPads integrated into every classroom. Therefore, we are looking for a university that is equally adaptive to technological advancement. Parents also appreciate having an early admission pathway that offers a reliable higher education option for their children,” he explained.

The school's interest in UIN Jakarta is also driven by the inclusiveness of its academic programs, particularly in education and medicine, which are open to students from diverse religious backgrounds. This was reaffirmed by the Head of the Admissions Center and representatives from the university's cooperation office, who explained that partnerships are not restricted by rigid institutional requirements, provided that participating schools can demonstrate the quality of their graduates through verified academic and extracurricular achievements recorded within Indonesia's National School Identification Number (NPSN) system.

Following the meeting, Ikhwan Ma’rufi reiterated the school's strong commitment to the proposed collaboration.

“We came to UIN Jakarta because we want more of our students to continue their studies here. We believe the university offers an outstanding range of highly competitive academic programs. Many people may not yet realize the quality of UIN Jakarta, but once they explore it, they will discover an exceptional institution,” he said.

He also shared a personal testimony that reinforced his confidence in the university.

“Our trust is further strengthened by the fact that my own son was admitted to the Public Health program through the national SNBP admission pathway. We believe that by studying at UIN Jakarta, our children will receive an excellent education while also benefiting from the university's distinctive Islamic values,” he added.

As a concrete outcome of the meeting, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Khadijah, expressed the faculty's readiness to directly assess applicants' portfolios through a dedicated independent admission pathway. Following the discussion, the university's cooperation office will draft a Faculty-Specific Cooperation Agreement (PKS), which is expected to be finalized in the near future. The agreement will serve as the formal framework enabling SMA Global Mandiri Jakarta to nominate its outstanding students through the Achievement and Talent Scouting admission schemes in the upcoming academic year.