List of Favorite Study Programs for Prospective Students in Indonesia

Research by the Katadata Insight Center (KIC) and Aku Pintar, titled 'Student Behavior in Choosing a Field of Study,' reveals that engineering is the most favored field of study among prospective university students in Indonesia. In the survey, engineering ranked first with a 16.2% preference rate.

The second most popular field of study is education/teaching, with a 7.4% preference rate. Medicine, management, and accounting also made the list of most favored fields, with respective preference rates of 7.4%, 7.3%, and 6.3%.

The KIC research identified three main factors influencing students' choice of higher education field: job prospects after graduation, the potential for high salaries in the chosen field after graduation, and interest in the field aligned with their talents and abilities. Other influencing factors include career progression, job status/prestige after graduation, and the reputation of the department itself.

81.5% of respondents stated that public universities are generally the most sought-after. Gadjah Mada University was the most popular university, with 13.4% of respondents choosing it. This was followed by the University of Indonesia (7.8%), Bandung Institute of Technology (3.9%), Padjadjaran University (3.8%), Airlangga University (2.9%), Brawijaya University (2.7%), and others.

This survey was conducted from March 20-29, 2021, involving 1153 students aged 15-18 from 32 provinces across Indonesia. 68.4% of the surveyed students were from public schools, and 31.6% from private schools. The sample comprised 49.4% males and 50.6% females.