The Higher Education System in Indonesia
The Indonesian higher education system is supervised and under the responsibility of the Ministry of Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kementerian Riset dan Teknologi Republik Indonesia) which was established in 1962 and headquartered in the capital Jakarta as well as the Directorate of Higher Education (Indonesian: Direktorat Pendidikan Tinggi, DIKTI) which is part of the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan). Kemenristek is the government ministry that is responsible for determining the policies and direction of the higher education system in Indonesia; part of Kemenristek is the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (Indonesian: Badan Akreditasi Nasional - Perguruan Tinggi).
Types of higher education institutions in Indonesia
In Indonesia there are 5 different types of higher education institutions:
- Universities: Universities (Indonesian: Universitas) in Indonesia are multidisciplinary institutions of higher education and research that can provide academic degrees and education in various fields at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. uniRank currently includes 564 Indonesian Universities.
- Institutes: Institutes (Indonesian: Institut) in Indonesia are specialized institutions of higher education which can provide academic degrees and education in a few specific fields at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. uniRank currently includes 9 Indonesian Institutes.
- Colleges: Colleges or High Schools (Indonesian: Sekolah tinggi) in Indonesia are specialized institutions of higher education which can provide academic degrees and education in only one specific field at the undergraduate level. uniRank currently does not include any Indonesian College or High School.
- Polytechnics: Polytechnics (Indonesian: Politeknik) in Indonesia are specialized institutions of higher education which can provide vocational degrees and education in a few specific scientific or technological fields. uniRank currently does not include any Indonesian Polytechnic.
- Academies: Academies (Indonesian: Akademi) in Indonesia are specialized institutions of higher education which can provide vocational degrees and education in only one specific scientific or technological field. uniRank currently does not include any Indonesian Academy.
Access to higher education in Indonesia
Indonesian students access higher education after a total of at least 12 years of primary, basic secondary (Sekolah Menengah Tingkat Pertama) and senior secondary school (Sekolah Menengah Tingkat Atas) studies, from the age of 7 to the age of 18, and after obtaining the Surat Tanda Tamat Belajar which is the official Indonesian certificate awarded at the end of the higher secondary school.
Languages of Instruction in Indonesia
University programs and courses are mainly taught in the Indonesian national language Bahasa Indonesia.
Stages of higher education in Indonesia
- First stage: the first stage of University-level higher education in Indonesia can last from 4 to 6 years, depending on the area of study, and leads to the award of the Bachelor's degree (Sarjana or S1).
- Second stage: once obtained a Bachelor's degree, the second stage of University-level higher education generally lasts 2 years, depending on the area of study, and leads to the award of the Master's degree (Magister or S2).
- Third stage: the third and last stage of University-level higher education in Indonesia can last from 2 to 5 years, depending on the area of study and whether it is started after the bachelor's or master's degree, and leads to the award of the Ph.D. or Doctoral degree (Doktor or S3).
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