Universitas Indonesia: First Higher Education in Indonesia

As one of the oldest universities in Indonesia, born in 1950, Universitas Indonesia (UI) implements its mission of providing high quality education by providing access to the community through faculties and institutes that were spread across various cities when it was first established. This initiative not only embodies the value of Education and Teaching, but also creates a sustainable legacy in the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. UI endeavors to provide easy access to education-one of which is through MOOCs-and provide a wide selection of scholarly fields. The establishment of the School of Strategic & Global Studies (SKSG) and the School of Environmental Sciences (SIL) are proof of this. Through progressive steps, UI offers not only knowledge, but also solutions to global challenges. UI is committed to a sustainable future through multidisciplinary education and environmental protection.

The Forerunner of Indonesian College

Universitas Indonesia is one of the oldest universities in the country, born on February 2, 1950. In the beginning, UI had 9 faculties spread across several cities. In its journey, there was a development of higher education in Indonesia and one by one UI branches outside Jakarta were separated to become their own universities. Until now, UI is the real implementation of efforts to foster higher education institutions that remain firmly based on the three values of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, namely Education and Teaching, Research and Development, and Community Service.

After the Netherlands recognized Indonesia’s independence in the Round Table Conference, adjustments were made to Universiteit van Indonesie through the emergency decree, Law No. 7 on 1950 of Higher Education, Minister of Education, Teaching and Culture of RIS to follow the national rules of RIS. Various changes were made such as the use of the Indonesian language and the merger of the RI Higher Education Center with Universiteit van Indonesie, which gave birth to Universiteit Indonesia (now University of Indonesia).

Before it was centralized in Depok, the UI Rectorate Building was located in Salemba, Central Jakarta. This photo shows the UI Rectorate Building in Salemba and its surroundings in the 1960s. There is also a pedestrian staircase that still exists today.

The UI Faculty of Medicine in Salemba, Jakarta was originally started by the Javanese medical school School tot Opleiding voor Indische Artsen (STOVIA) in 1898 which later changed its name to Geneeskundige Hooge School (GHS) on August 9, 1927. The Faculty of Medicine building has also been recognized as a national cultural heritage since 1988.

In Rawamangun, East Jakarta, there used to be a UI campus complex consisting of several faculties, namely the Faculty of Letters (FS), Faculty of Social Sciences (FIS), Faculty of Psychology (FPsi), Faculty of Law (FH), and Faculty of Teacher Training & Education (FKIP). After the UI Depok Campus was established (1987), all of these faculties were moved to Depok.

The Adhuc Stat building on Jl. Taman Suropati No.2, Jakarta (now the Bappenas building), was originally used as a lecture hall for the UI Faculty of Economics in the early 1950s. FEUI was established on September 18, 1950 after separating from the UI Faculty of Law. FEUI is the oldest economic education institution in Indonesia and is now based in Depok.

The building on Jl. Diponegoro No.72 was used by the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Letters, and the Faculty of Psychology, respectively, and by the Faculty of Economics in the early 1950s. After planning for the centralization of the UI campus in Depok, the campuses on Jl. Diponegoro were slowly moved, and have all been centered in Depok since September 5, 1987.

The Landbouwkundige Faculteit (Faculty of Agriculture) building was one of the faculties of Universiteit van Indonesie located in Bogor. It later became part of Universitet Indonesia (UI) in the 1940s. However, in 1963, the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine separated from UI and became the Bogor Agricultural University or IPB, which was born on September 1, 1963.

The Faculty of Engineering in Bandung originally started as Techniche Hoogeschool te Bandung (TH) on July 3, 1920. During the Japanese occupation, TH changed its name to Bandung Kogyo Daigaku (BKD), then to Bandung College of Engineering (STT) after independence. From 1950-1959, the faculty was part of UI. However, on March 2, 1959, the Bandung branch separated itself and became the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

Politeknik UI, originally the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Non-Degree Technology (FNGT UI), was established on September 20, 1982 to provide professional human resources for the service and manufacturing industries. Politeknik UI then changed its name to Politeknik Negeri Jakarta on 25 August 1998, with the authorization to manage its own statutes.