UIN Jakarta Calls for Stronger Community Support for Student Scholarships

Jakarta, UIN News Online – For students facing financial barriers, a scholarship can mean the difference between continuing their education and giving up on a university degree. Recognizing the importance of sustained support, UIN Jakarta is strengthening its partnerships with scholarship providers to help ensure that financial constraints do not stand in the way of academic opportunity.

The university brought together its scholarship partners at Mercure Jakarta Simatupang on Wednesday, (11/11/2026), under the theme “A Helping Hand, a Million Hopes: The Strategic Role of Partners in Sustaining Education.” The gathering provided an opportunity to reaffirm a shared commitment to supporting students who need financial assistance.

UIN Jakarta Rector Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar emphasized that scholarships must reach students based on genuine need and clearly established eligibility, rather than personal connections or other considerations.

“We select scholarship recipients objectively. Students who meet the eligibility requirements and genuinely need assistance are identified and then recommended to our partners. Every recipient must go through a proper selection process,” he said.

The rector's emphasis on fair selection reflects a broader challenge facing higher education: ensuring that access is determined by students' potential and eligibility, rather than their families' ability to pay.

Vice Rector for Student Affairs Prof. Ali Munhanif placed scholarship support within the university's wider social responsibility. He outlined three interconnected roles of higher education institutions: opening pathways to university for young people from all backgrounds, helping address the gap between educational costs and household financial capacity, and securing the resources needed to sustain academic activities.

These responsibilities, he suggested, cannot be fulfilled by universities alone. Support from government, families, and the wider community remains essential to making higher education more accessible.

That need for broader participation was also underscored by Vice Rector for Cooperation and Institutional Affairs Din Wahid. He noted that a considerable number of UIN Jakarta students come from economically disadvantaged families, making contributions from external partners an important part of efforts to sustain their education.

“Many of our students come from families with limited financial means. This is why support from the community matters. Whatever contribution you make, it can have a meaningful impact on a student's ability to continue their education,” Din said.

The gathering also highlighted how scholarship programs can extend beyond financial assistance to become instruments of long-term social empowerment.

Dr. Farid Septian, S.Sos., M.Hum., Head of the Education and Vocational Division at the National Board of Zakat (BAZNAS), explained that scholarships funded through zakat, infaq, and sadaqah are intended not only to help students complete their studies but also to prepare them to contribute to society in the future.

The ultimate goal, he said, is to enable beneficiaries to move beyond receiving assistance and become people who support others.

“Our focus is on developing human resources through zakat. We want students who initially receive assistance from zakat, infaq, and sadaqah funds to grow into individuals who can give back—as munfiq (those who give infaq), mutashaddiq (those who give sadaqah), and even muzakki (those who pay zakat),” Farid said.

This vision places education at the center of a cycle of social responsibility: support enables students to complete their education, while the knowledge and opportunities they gain can empower them to help others in turn.

The gathering was attended by Rector Asep Saepudin Jahar, Vice Rector Ali Munhanif, Vice Rector Din Wahid, scholarship partners, university staff, and members of the scholarship administration committee. Through stronger collaboration with these partners, UIN Jakarta aims to sustain educational opportunities for students in need while encouraging a culture of giving that extends well beyond the university.