Gadjah Mada University

Gadjah Mada University (Javanese: ꦈꦕꦮꦶꦪꦠꦒꦗꦃꦩꦢ, romanized: Ucawiyata Gajah Mada; Indonesian: Universitas Gadjah Mada, abbreviated as UGM) is a public research university located in Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Officially founded on 19 December 1949, Gadjah Mada University is one of the oldest and largest institutions of higher education in the country, and has been credited as one of the best universities in Indonesia. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings, UGM is ranked 2nd in Indonesia and 263rd in the world.
During the period when native education was often restricted, the institution was the first to open its medicine to native Indonesians when it was founded in the 1940s under Dutch rule.
Comprising 18 faculties and 27 research centers, UGM offers 68 undergraduate, 23 diplomas, 104 master's and specialist, 43 doctorates, and 4 clusters of post-doctoral study programs. The university has enrolled approximately 55,000 students, 1,187 foreign students, and has 2,500 faculty members. UGM maintains a campus of 882 acres (357 ha), with facilities that include a stadium and a fitness center.
The university is named after Gajah Mada, the leader of the Majapahit Empire of Java in the 14th century, who is also considered to be the nation's first unifier by some historians. The spelling of the university's name still reflects the old Dutch-era spelling.
UGM was the first state university in Indonesia, established as Universiteit Negeri Gadjah Mada (UNGM) when Indonesia was still facing threats from the Netherlands, which wanted to regain control. At the time, the capital of Indonesia had moved from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.
UGM was established through Government Regulation (PP) No. 23 of 1949, regarding the merger of colleges to form a university. Although the regulations were dated 16 December, UGM's inauguration took place on 19 December, intentionally chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Dutch invasion of Yogyakarta, exactly one year before 19 December 1948. The intentional date was meant to show that one year after the Netherlands had invaded the city, the government would establish a nationwide university there.
When it was founded, UGM had six faculties: Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy; Law, Economics, Social and Political Sciences; Engineering; Letters, Pedagogy and Philosophy; Agriculture; and Veterinary Medicine.
From 1952 until 1972, the Faculty of Law, Social and Political Sciences was split into two faculties: the Surabaya branch of the Faculty of Law, Social, and Political Sciences, which was integrated into University of Airlangga; and the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, which was integrated into IKIP Yogyakarta (now Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta).
During its initial years of Dutch resistance, the university taught literature and law in the buildings and other facilities belonging to the palace of Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, who volunteered his palace for the university's use. UGM gradually established a campus of its own in Bulaksumur, on the northern side of Yogyakarta, and now occupies an area of three square kilometres.
The UGM main building is called the Balairung, a rectorate building, in Sleman. Nearby is the Grha Sabha Pramana, a large building utilized for graduation ceremonies, with an adjoining square used for sport and recreation. There is also a university library and a sports center, consisting of a stadium, tennis court, and basketball field.
Most of the main campus is located in Sleman, with the small parts (such as part of the Vocational School and part of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences) located within Yogyakarta city.
The UGM administration is divided into 18 faculties, offering study programs from the undergraduate to post-doctoral level. There is also a vocational school offering vocational study programmes.
UGM provides some major programs in English and admits international students. In 2018, 1,334 Asian students, 566 European students, 213 Australian/Oceanian students, 101 North American students, 58 African students, and 12 South American students studied in the 18 faculties of Gadjah Mada University.
CSIUP began in the 2012 academic year. It offers undergraduate computer science classes in English. It teaches algorithm and software design, intelligent systems, programmable logic and embedded systems, and mobile computing. The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has been teaching Computer Science courses since 1987 (BSc), 2000 (MSc), and 2003 (PhD), organized jointly by the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Physics, which has also offered courses in Electronics and Instrumentation since 1987 (BSc). In 2010, the Department of Computer Science and Electronics (DCSE) was formed by merging Computer Science resources within the Department of Mathematics with the Electronics and Instrumentation group within the Department of Physics. Students of DCSE have won gold medals in robotics competitions both nationally and internationally (in Korea in 2012 with a humanoid robot, and in the US in 2013 with a legged robot).
In 2002, UGM began offering an English-language-based medicine programme for overseas and Indonesian students to study medicine with an international standard curriculum. The International Medicine Programme is over five years, with the first three and a half years being study and a further one and a half years of clinical rotations. The programme is designed around a problem-based learning approach, making use of small study groups.
In 1988, UGM opened a master's programme in management (MM-UGM), to train students in business practices. The program is a collaboration with the University of Kentucky and Temple University. The Faculty of Economics and Business UGM is ranked among 5% of the world's best business schools after it received an international Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. In 2010, UGM opened a similar campus in South Jakarta, Jakarta.
The Faculty of Medicine UGM is one of the oldest medical schools in Indonesia, having been established on 5 March 1946. It is ranked number 72 by the Times Higher Education Supplement 2006 for biomedicine.
Before being part of the UGM, the faculty of engineering was already providing engineering education under the name of STT Jogjakarta since 1946. After the UGM establishment meeting on 20 May 1949, STT Jogjakarta changed its name to the Faculty of Engineering of UGM and admitted 205 students. The faculty consists of 3 departments: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. Between 1957 and 1966, the engineering faculty received support from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA gave books, equipment, and scholarships to lecturers as well as sent their professors to teach in the faculty of engineering of Gadjah Mada University.
Currently, the faculty of engineering has 8 departments: Architecture & urban planning, civil & environmental engineering, geodetic engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical & industrial engineering, electrical and informatics engineering, nuclear and physic engineering, and geological engineering. Each department has been accredited by ABET (USA), IChemE (UK), ASIIN (Germany), KAAB (South Korea), AUN QA (ASEAN), IABEE (Indonesia), and BAN-PT (Indonesia).
UGM has 24 university-level research and study centers:
In 2013, UGM's chemistry undergraduate program received accreditation from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom, the largest European-based international organization devoted to the advancement of chemical science. This is the first international accreditation ever received by the university and was effective from 5 March 2013 to March 2018.
The university was the highest-ranked school in Indonesia for three consecutive years (from 2021 to 2023) in the QS World University Rankings. In 2023, it was ranked 231st in the world.
In 2022, UGM was ranked in the top 10 (SDG 1: No Poverty) and in 2023 rangked 50 in the world (among 1,406 institutions) according to Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking which uses seven criteria of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG no 1, 7 & 9). In the world overall assessment, UGM was rangked 72 in 2020, rangked 83 in 2021 & rangked 87 in 2022.
In 2023 UGM was rangking 280-300 in the world according to QS World University Rangking: Sustainability 2023 and also rangking 383 in 2025, 1st in Indonesia. UGM also ranked 1st in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in the Good Governance category.
Every year, UGM welcomes new undergraduate students by holding a one-week student orientation session called PPSMB (Pelatihan Pembelajar Sukses bagi Mahasiswa Baru Palapa, "Training for New Students to be Successful Learners") which involves a short course introducing UGM's common knowledge, values, rules, and soft-skill education. It was named PPSMB Palapa (named after Palapa oath) since its inception in 2012, before renamed to PPSMB Pionir (lit. 'Pioneer') in 2023. On the last day of the program, there is a closing ceremony where students make a formation of a symbol or logo. In 2018, the students created a formation called Bersatu Nusantara Indonesia ("United Indonesian Archipelago") with the Indonesian national flag, to encourage a spirit of unity across differences in the country. In 2023, PPSMB broke a record for featuring ten different formations with just 30 minutes of preparation.
UGM organizes a community service called KKN-PPM (short for Kuliah Kerja Nyata-Pembelajaran Pemberdayaan Masyarakat or "Student Community Service-Community Empowerment Learning", in English), which is obligatory for undergraduate students. KKN-PPM is a research-based community service offered three times each academic year, in the middle of both the odd semester and the even semester, and between these two semesters. Not only local students joining the KKN, but also international academicians, including lecturers and students, are involved in KKN-PPM UGM. In 2011, 150 international students participated in KKN-PPM, coming from many countries, such as South Korea, Australia, France, the US, and Norway.
The Sports Activities Unit is coordinated by the Secretariat of Joint Sports, and the Arts Unit is coordinated by the Joint Secretariat of Arts.
Sports activities include swimming, diving, inkai karate, kenpō, the Indonesian martial art pencak silat (including the variants of pencak silat merpati putih, self periasi pencak silat, pencak silat pro patria, and pencak silat setia hati terate), taekwondo, judo, hockey, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, athletics, equestrian, bridge, badminton, chess, and tennis.
Arts activities include Arts Style Yogyakarta (Swagayugama), Art Style Surakarta, Balinese dance, creative dance, photography, fine arts, Gamma Band, marching band, ‘’keroncong’’, student choir, theatre, and other arts.
Other activities include Publisher Student Press Agency, Mapagama, Student Health Unit, Scout, Satmenwa, Cooperative Students "Kopma UGM", and AIESEC.
Spirituality activities include the Unit of Islamic Spirituality (Jama'ah Shalahuddin), Unit of Catholic Spirituality, Christian Spirituality Unit, Hindu Spirituality Unit, Buddhism and Spiritual Unit.
Reasoning activities include the Interdisciplinary Unit of Scientific Reasoning, the Gama Scholar Reasoning Unit, and the English Debating Society.
There are sepeda kampus (campus bike) services available inside UGM, with 8 stations and 5 substations across the campus. Also, there are school buses called Trans Gadjah Mada that serve as electric bus service on UGM through the UGM's Asset Directorate, which operate 3 electric bus lines with the support of 1 fleet for each line, estimated to last 1 round trip of approximately 20 minutes. Using environmentally friendly transportation within the campus environment will speed up and facilitate access to a Green Campus Movement. UGM campus is also served by Trans Jogja bus stations in several locations, notably near the Faculty of Medicine, Vocational School, and the lecturer's housing in the east area.
UGM Campus Mosque is a mosque owned by UGM and situated within its campus. It was designed entirely by the students of the UGM Architecture Engineering department. It holds a maximum capacity of 10,000 pilgrims, making it one of the largest mosques in Southeast Asia.
Madya Stadium, the softball/baseball field, and the tennis courts are located in the valley of UGM. The stadium can be used for football, athletics, hockey, and other activities. These facilities are available to UGM students, staff, and the public.
The Student Center Hall is used for sports activities such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, and martial arts, and for exhibitions and artistic performances.
The open field in the valley of UGM can be used for musical performances or other student activities that require a wide open space.
Some of Gadjah Mada University's inventions are displayed in the University Museum along with the university's collections and memorabilia.
UGM also has several student dormitories across Yogyakarta.
The Yogyakarta Principles—a set of principles outlined in Geneva, Switzerland, which were intended to apply international human rights law guidelines in support of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people—were developed at Gadjah Mada University.
Islamic and religious groups, and civil prosecutors, attacked the LGBT community as being suspect in "promoting communism or westernization", although the Yogyakarta Principles merely address ending violence, abuse, and discrimination of LGBT people.
In 2016, more than 1000 of UGM's students and staff flocked to the university's headquarters for a demonstration that was said to be the biggest after the 1998 national demonstration. The demonstration went peacefully, with no damage reported by the university, although it got a bit heated when the university's rector, Mrs. Dwikorita Karnawati, claimed that the demonstration was a simulation officially held by UGM. Three factors led to this demonstration: tuition (uang kuliah tunggal) that was deemed too expensive; the university's status as a "state university with corporation status" (PTNBH), which led to the tuition fee rate ruling by the university; and to stop the relocation of so-called "bonbin" canteen located between Faculty of Cultural Sciences and Faculty of Psychology.
On 5 November 2018, UGM's student publication body BPPM Balairung through its online portal Balairungpress.com published an article containing the account, from a female student ("Agni"), of an alleged rape she experienced at the hands of a male fellow student ("HS") while doing a so-called "student work experience" (Kuliah Kerja Nyata – KKN) program in Seram Island, Maluku in June 2017. However, on 4 February 2019, UGM announced the case was resolved and claimed it concluded with a rather "peaceful" resolution.
When learning of the rape allegation, UGM–KKN officials chose not to forward Agni's accusation to the police. Instead, they were skeptical of Agni's account. Regardless, HS was pulled from the KKN program about a week later because he was deemed to be "incompatible" with other KKN participants.
After Agni returned to Yogyakarta in September 2017, she received a C-grade for the program, apparently in retaliation for the shame her allegation had brought upon an official. Agni then filed a formal complaint about her alleged rape to higher-ranking officials at the university, who raised her grade to A/B but still did not report HS to law enforcement. Instead, the university agreed to pay for the counseling Agni had been seeking to deal with her trauma, as well as requiring HS to go to counseling as well. HS was allowed to take part in another KKN program the semester after the alleged rape, and he is expected to graduate soon.
UGM spokesperson Iva Ariani confirmed the account as told in Balairungpress.com and says that the university is now taking further steps to investigate the rape allegation. She admitted to Kompas that the case was happened, that UGM has "extraordinary empathy" for the victim and also "concerned" about the incident.
On 2 May 2024, coinciding with National Education Day, students held a demonstration at UGM's rectorate building that criticized the high tuition fees that didn't match the students' financial capabilities. In a statement given by the Coordinator of the UGM Advocacy Forum, Rio Putra Dewanto, it's revealed that a survey conducted on 722 students from the class of 2023, it was found that 511 or 70.7 percent of students felt that the tuition fees set by UGM are too heavy, and 52.1 percent of students urged that it should be reconsidered.
Vice Rector for Human Resources and Finance, Supriyadi, guarantees that all students can complete their education without having to be constrained by costs. He added that the campus had made a decision letter to assign students as verifiers of tuition determination data in each faculty. In this verification, a team containing students is tasked with re-verifying all data so that tuition determination is more accurate.