Vice Executive Director of Undergraduate and Vocational Programs of ITB, Dr. Achmad Syarief, S. Sn., M.Sc., said that from 78,658 applicants of Undergraduate Programs, 4,740 passed. From that number, 4,465 students conducted reregistration held until 3 August 2019 at 2 p.m. These students come from all 35 provinces in Indonesia, with the majority comes from high schools in Jakarta, West java, and Banten.

Dr. Achmad Syarief also said that the average age of the undergraduate freshmen is 18, with the youngest being 15 and the oldest being 21. Of those 4,465 students, 11% receive Bidikmisi scholarship, consist of 5% from SNMPTN, 2% from SBMPTN, and 4% from SM-ITB. “However, until this time, verification to Bidikmisi recipients is still carried out by Student Affairs of ITB,” he said.

This year, ITB admit 4 overseas freshmen coming from Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. ITB also admit 37 freshmen who graduated from overseas high schools; they enter, especially, 7 international programs in ITB.

Rector’s Speech

This PPMB, Rector of ITB Prof. Kadarsah Suryadi delivered a speech about “The Role of Student Activities in Industry 4.0”. The rector said that Indonesia will enjoy demographic dividend on 2020-2030, where 70% population of Indonesia are work force aged 15-64 years old. A work force that big is a golden chance to accelerate economic growth if they can conduct productive activities.

Therefore, if Indonesia want to enjoy demographic dividend for a better economic growth, the work force should be educated to be productive, excellent, and competitive,” said Prof. Kadarsah.

The rector added that the world has changed very fast since industry 1.0 to 4.0. Industry 4.0 is marked with several technology breakthrough, such as in robotics, artificial intelligence, nano technology, quantum computation, biotechnology, internet of things, 3D printing and automation.

“Student activities have important roles in empowering and preparing students to become social beings aspired by educational goals, including in honing the skills needed to respond to challenges of industry 4.0,” said the rector.

Prof. Kadarsah said that ITB have positive student activities atmosphere. In 2018, ITB’s Student Affairs was named the third best student affairs in Indonesia. ITB students also earned more than 1,100 achievements both in regional, national, and international levels in various competitions. For these achievements, ITB were named the national best for achievements in many competitions, especially competitions not held by Kemenristekdikti.

The rector also expressed his gratitude for the active and dynamic student activities in ITB. In 2018, more than 4500 student activities conducted by student organizations in ITB, which currently consist of 85 student units, 40 students associations of study programs, and student executive boards. Tracer study of ITB also indicates that only 6% students are not active in student activities.

“Being on this campus is part of the mandate given by the people of Indonesia, and at the same time a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is your opportunity to gain knowledge, shape your character, hone your skills, and work for the nation,” he said.

During the same occasion, Taufik Faturohman Ph.D., a lecturer in School of Business and management (SBM-ITB) delivered a scientific speech titled “Loan Default Predicting Model Based on Social Media Data: a Case Study of Online Peer to Peer Lending.” ITB also honor an award to Prof. Eiichiro Fukusaki of Osaka University, Japan and presented several award to ITB students namely Ganesha Perkasa (sports), Ganesha Rasa (arts), Ganesha Karsa (science, social, and community services), and Ganesha Karya (innovative works).