May 30, 2025
JAKARTA – Following the conclusion of this year’s computer-based entrance exam (UTBK) for state university admissions, organizers have vowed to take firm action against mass cheating and fraud, including referring serious cases to law enforcement.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Eduart Wolok, head of the National Selection for New Student Admissions (SNPMB) Oversight Committee said that hundreds of cheating incidents had been uncovered during the exam period this year, which ran from April 23 to May 3.
“We’ve already imposed sanctions on those caught cheating and, in more serious cases, we have handed them over to the police,” Eduart said.
He emphasized that the committee’s oversight efforts would continue beyond the testing phase and into the university re-registration period.
The SNPMB has ramped up its preventive measures against fraud in this year’s tests, which included the use of metal detectors at test centers and stricter controls on test design, scoring procedures and answer evaluation.
“Thanks to the hard work of the committee and ongoing coordination with UTBK centers, we’ve been able to detect and address cheating attempts, protecting the integrity of the exam and the rights of honest participants,” Eduart added.
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Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto, who also spoke at the press conference, expressed strong support for the crackdown, saying that while violations were limited in number, they still posed a threat to academic fairness.
“The number may be small, but academic dishonesty, no matter the scale, undermines students who have put in a genuine effort,” Brian said.
This year’s UTBK was marred by reports of widespread organized and systemic cheating. Investigations have uncovered a range of tactics, including the use of so-called academic joki, paid test-takers hired to impersonate actual students.
These individuals used forged documents such as test participant IDs, exam entry cards and school enrollment certificates.
In some cases, private tutoring centers were found to be complicit, bribing members of university IT teams to install remote-access software on exam computers. This allowed third parties to take the test in place of registered participants.