INSTIPER Yogyakarta welcomed 1,135 new students for the 2026/2027 academic year, including 150 recipients of SDM PKS scholarships aimed at strengthening human resources for Indonesia’s oil palm plantation sector.
PALMOILMAGAZINE, Yogyakarta — The Institut Pertanian Stiper (INSTIPER) Yogyakarta has welcomed 1,135 new students for the 2026/2027 academic year, comprising 1,058 undergraduate students and 77 postgraduate students.
The number of new undergraduate students increased by 218, or 20.8%, from 876 students recorded in the 2025/2026 academic year.
According to information received by PalmOilMagazine on Thursday (September 3), 766 of the new undergraduate students, or 72.4%, enrolled in the Faculty of Agriculture. Another 196 students, or 18.5%, joined the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, while 96 students, or 9%, enrolled in the Faculty of Forestry.
The new students come from 28 provinces across Indonesia. North Sumatra recorded the largest number of students, followed by Riau, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, and Central Java.
The strong confidence of industry and government partners in INSTIPER is also reflected in the number of scholarship recipients. In the 2026/2027 academic year, 329 new students, or around 29% of the total intake, received scholarships.
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Of this number, 150 students received Human Resources Development for Oil Palm Plantations (SDM PKS) scholarships from the Directorate General of Estate Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP) under the Ministry of Finance. The program is aimed at developing high-quality human resources for Indonesia’s oil palm plantation sector.
Several industry and government partners have also entrusted INSTIPER with educating and preparing their future workforce.
PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), which has provided scholarships at INSTIPER for 16 years, is supporting 35 scholarship recipients this year to pursue undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Forestry.
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Other scholarship support includes 13 students from Asian Agri Group, 59 from Karyamas Plantation, 20 from PT London Sumatra Indonesia, nine from PT Bumitama Gunajaya Agro, two from Mahitala Ingkeng Gemah, five from the Ngada Regency Government, and 36 students through the KIP Kuliah program.
The partnerships are an important part of INSTIPER’s commitment to producing graduates whose competencies match the needs of the business and industrial sectors, particularly in plantations, forestry, and agroindustry.
Rapid technological change and increasingly dynamic industry requirements are also encouraging higher education institutions to equip students not only with academic knowledge but also with practical skills relevant to the workplace.
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INSTIPER continues to adapt its education programs to technological developments and industry needs, including the challenges of Industry 4.0. One area receiving particular attention is Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), which are strengthened through the development of six key competencies: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Computational Logic, and Compassion.
These competencies complement the knowledge and skills students gain through curricular and extracurricular activities, helping INSTIPER graduates become better prepared to enter the workforce and industrial sectors.
INSTIPER Yogyakarta Rector Dr. Harsawardana, M.Eng., welcomed the new students during the opening ceremony for the 2026/2027 academic year at Grha INSTIPER in Yogyakarta.
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“Welcome to the INSTIPER campus that we are proud of. You are in the right place to prepare for your future. INSTIPER Yogyakarta is a higher education institution trusted to produce outstanding human resources who are ready to enter the world of work and industry,” he said.
INSTIPER’s position is supported by its long-established core competencies in plantation and forestry education. These strengths have helped build confidence among industry partners and government institutions seeking to develop cooperation with the university.
“The trust of our various partners is evidence of the cooperation that has been built and, at the same time, a responsibility for INSTIPER to continue improving the quality of education and student competencies,” Harsawardana said.
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The opening program also featured a public lecture delivered by Puji Lestari, Ph.D., Head of the Organization for Agricultural and Food Research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
The lecture, titled “The Role of Research and Innovation in Increasing the Competitiveness of Plantation Products,” highlighted the importance of research and innovation in strengthening the competitiveness of Indonesia’s plantation commodities while addressing the challenges facing the industry.
“Plantation commodities such as palm oil, cocoa, coffee, coconut, sago, areca nut, pepper, and tobacco play a crucial role for Indonesia. BRIN is committed to supporting research and innovation to produce competitive national plantation products, from on-farm activities through downstream processing. We are encouraging improvements in productivity, quality, efficiency, added value, and market access,” Puji Lestari said.
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Beyond academic learning, INSTIPER provides students with opportunities to develop their potential, talents, and practical skills through co-curricular activities under the INSTIPER Academy program.
INSTIPER Academy serves as a curriculum-support program designed to strengthen graduate competencies. Through intensive training, students are equipped with additional skills beyond their regular curricular learning.
Following the opening ceremony and public lecture, the new students are participating in the Campus Orientation and Plantation Familiarization program, known as OKKABUN, which runs from August 31 to September 9, 2026.
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The program is being held not only on the INSTIPER Yogyakarta campus but also includes a plantation familiarization activity at the KP2 Ungaran plantation from September 5–7, 2026.
Through these activities, new students are expected to become familiar with the campus environment, understand academic culture, build a sense of community, and gain early exposure to plantation operations as part of their learning experience at INSTIPER.
As the 2026/2027 academic year begins, INSTIPER Yogyakarta is reaffirming its commitment to providing education that adapts to technological developments and evolving industry requirements while producing competent, resilient, and industry-ready graduates who can contribute to the advancement of Indonesia’s plantation, forestry, and agroindustry sectors. (P3)
