Page 17 - KLIPING BELMAWA (14 JUNI 2019 - SORE)

Judul
High school graduates buckle up for state university entrance
Media
The Jakarta Post
Terbit
14 Juni 2019
Tone
Netral
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https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/06/13/high-school- graduates-buckle-up-for-state-university-entrance.html
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High school graduates buckle up for state university entrance
The gates have been opened. The joint entrance test for state universities (SBMPTN) starts on Monday and closes on June 24 for some 2.4 million senior high school graduates churned out by senior high schools this year.
State universities are still the favorite choices due to their relatively affordable cost and better quality when compared to private ones despite a change in intake procedures starting this year.
At least 1.2 million students sat computer-based exams (UTBK) which were held during weekends in two batches on April 13 to May 4 and May 11 to 26. A student’s UTBK score determines which university and major he or she can apply to.
Admission through the SBMPTN itself is not an easy feat. In 2018, there were some 2.9 million senior high school graduates, of which 860,001 took part in SBMPTN and only 165,831 were admitted into state universities.
The SBMPTN is the second chance for senior high school graduates who did not make the cut in a previous process, the SNMPTN, which based its decision on academic records during high school.
This year, only 92,331 students were pre-admitted into state universities through the SNMPTN from 478,608 applicants.
Narendra, an 18-year-old senior high school graduate from Surabaya, has high hopes to enter the medical school at Airlangga University through the SBMPTN.
Dreaming to become a doctor, he said he had no other choice than going to a state university as it was relatively affordable for his family.
“Although it [medical school] is expensive, at least it would not be at a private university,” he told The Jakarta Post.
“I have three siblings and all of them are currently in school.”
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Yudha from Jakarta was also aiming to get into a state university to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher.
“I want to major in sports education,” he said, “I have been dreaming about [getting into state university] for a long time.”
Yudha acknowledged that the reason why he was sure he would get a seat at a state