SDG 4.4 Proportion of First-Generation Students

Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) is a state postgraduate research university in Depok, West Java, established under Presidential Regulation No. 57 of 2016 and governed by Government Regulation No. 23 of 2019 on its Statute. It admitted its first students in September 2021 and offers only master’s (ISCED 7) and doctoral (ISCED 8) programmes in its Faculties of Islamic Studies, Social Sciences, Education, and Economics and Business. All students study full time on campus, so the headcount and the full-time equivalent (FTE) number are the same.

A first-generation student is a student starting a degree who is the first person in their immediate family (parents or guardians) to attend university. Because UIII admits only postgraduate students, every new student already holds a bachelor’s degree; a student counts as first generation when neither parent nor guardian has attended university. The figures below refer to the intake that enrolled in September 2025, the start of the academic year 2025/2026, and to the student body as of December 2025, within the reporting period January–December 2025 (Table 1).

Table 1. Proportion of first-generation students at a glance (2025)

1. Number of Students (4.4.3)

The total number of students is the number of registered and active students. As of December 2025, 444 students were registered and active: 303 master’s students and 141 doctoral students (Table 2).

Table 2. Number of students by degree level, December 2025 (FTE)

2. Number of Students Starting a Degree (4.4.1)

UIII admits one cohort a year. Applications for the 2025/2026 cycle were accepted through the admissions portal from 17 December 2024 to 31 March 2025 (extended to 30 April 2025 for international applicants). On 3 September 2025 the University held an online pre-departure session for the 179 admitted students then confirmed [1]. At the opening of the 2025 Convocation Week on 15 September 2025, UIII welcomed 190 new students: 154 master’s students and 36 doctoral students. Of these, 98 came from 28 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and the Americas, and eight were double-degree scholarship recipients (one funded by LPDP and seven by the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ BIB scheme). Since its establishment UIII has admitted 849 students, including 345 international students from 45 countries [2].

Table 3. Number of students starting a degree in 2025 (FTE)

Public access: https://uiii.ac.id/?p=32319; https://uiii.ac.id/ready-for-takeoff-uiiis-2025-students-begin-journey-with-pre-departure-session/

3. Number of First-Generation Students Starting a Degree (4.4.2)

3.1. Definition and data collection

A student starting a degree in 2025 is counted as first generation if neither of their parents or guardians attended university, that is, if neither holds a diploma, bachelor’s or higher qualification from a higher education institution. Parental education is self-reported by the student for the 2025 intake, and the count covers the 190 students who enrolled in September 2025.

3.2. Result

Table 4. First-generation students starting a degree in 2025 (FTE)

In 2025, 58 of the 190 students starting a degree at UIII were first-generation students, a proportion of 30.53% (58 ÷ 190).

4. Support for First-Generation and Disadvantaged Students

UIII’s admissions and scholarship policies remove the main financial barriers that first-generation students face, and its support services help them succeed once enrolled.

1. Non-discriminatory admission. Rector’s Regulation No. 17 of 2021 on New Student Admissions requires admission without distinction of religion, race, ethnicity, group, nationality, disability or minority status (Art. 3(d)), and admits applicants on academic merit and potential rather than family background [3].

2. Application fee waiver. Applicants in financial need may apply for a waiver of the application fee (Rector’s Regulation No. 17 of 2021, Art. 14(3)), so that cost does not stop them from applying.

3. Full scholarships. Most students study on full scholarships, through the UIII Scholarship and partner schemes, so admission does not depend on family income. Scholarships were awarded to 161 students of the 2025 intake. An affirmative LPDP scheme opens places for underprivileged Indonesians, Papuan students and persons with disabilities. The Norway– UIII and Netherlands–UIII scholarships enable Afghan women to pursue master’s and doctoral study, the PEMRI–UIII scholarship supports students from Afghanistan, and the INSANI scholarship of Indonesian AID is open to students from 17 low-income or conflict-affected countries [4].

4. Age-limit exemption for mid-career applicants. Researchers, academics, teachers and lecturers may be admitted above the normal age limit (Art. 10(2)(b) and 10(3)(b)), which opens postgraduate study to people who were unable to continue their education straight after their first degree.

5. Transition support. The online pre-departure session (3 September 2025) and the Convocation Week (from 15 September 2025) prepare new students for visas and travel, accommodation, health and safety, life in Indonesia and the academic expectations of a research university [1].

6. Academic and personal support. The Language and Writing Class offers a Bahasa Indonesia course, academic writing workshops and one-on-one English consultations; the Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS, Rector’s Decree No. 40/R/2025) provides free counselling; and the Disability Services Unit (Rector’s Decree No. 40A/R/2025) arranges reasonable accommodation [5].

Public access: https://admissions.uiii.ac.id/home/en#scholarships; https://jdih.uiii.ac.id/detail/235; https://uiii.ac.id/language-writing-class/; https://cmhs.uiii.ac.id/

SDGs Relevance: Quality Education (4.3, 4.5, 4.b), Reduced Inequalities (10.2, 10.3)

References