Graduating from a university abroad, returning home, and then applying for a job or registering for a position selection. At that point, your foreign diploma usually cannot be used directly. What is required is an equivalency decision letter: a document stating that your diploma is equivalent to which level in Indonesia.
Equivalency is not just a stamp. The outcome can differ from what is written on the diploma, and what determines it is not the name of the degree but the content of the transcript.
The degree name is overshadowed by the transcript content
The most concrete example can be found in the Foreign Diploma Equivalency service of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. For Australia and some of its branch campuses in other countries, only the Bachelor of Honours is equated with the undergraduate program. A regular Bachelor without Honours is equated with a Diploma Three.
There is a way out, and the requirements are specific. A non-Honours Bachelor can still be equivalent to an undergraduate if the curriculum you undertook includes an internship, or a field project accompanied by a final project report, or a thesis, and those courses are clearly listed in the academic transcript. Assignments in the form of scientific writing do not count as a thesis.
This means the decision that determines your level was made years earlier when you chose your courses.
The accreditation status of the university determines whether it can be processed
If the country where you studied implements an accreditation system but the university is not listed in the local accreditation agency's database, the proposal will not be continued and will be declared rejected. A commonly cited example is the United States with the CHEA database.
Conversely, there are countries that do not recognize an accreditation system, such as Canada. In this case, the applicant simply needs to attach a document explaining that accreditation is not applied there.
If your university or field of study is not yet in the database, you can propose it by attaching proof of accreditation, or proof of recognition from the local government, or a letter from the representative of the Republic of Indonesia in that country. Proposals for adding universities and fields of study are processed within a maximum of 22 working days.
How proposals can be automatically rejected without your knowledge
Two provisions can cause a proposal to be automatically rejected by the system. First, if there are three delays and the requested documents are still not fulfilled. Second, if the request for corrections from the assessment team is not followed up within 14 working days.
Some technical rules that often cause delays include:
- All scanned documents must be original documents, not photocopies.
- The passport must be scanned in full color for all pages during the study period and combined into one document. Two passports mean two documents.
- If the documents are not in English, the diploma and transcript must be translated by a sworn translator.
If you feel the assessment result is incorrect, there is an appeal mechanism available. Appeals can only be submitted once.
After the decision letter is issued
The data printed on the decision letter is the responsibility of the applicant. If there is a printing error, the ministry does not issue a new decision letter, but rather a Replacement Certificate. The same provision applies if the decision letter is lost, with a processing time of seven working days.
For decision letters signed electronically, legalization is not required. Its validity can be verified by scanning the QR code provided. Manual legalization only applies to documents with wet signatures, up to a maximum of five sheets, with a processing time of one to three days.
Two groups of fields have different pathways. Religious studies programs are handled by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, not the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. For medicine and dentistry, a referral letter from the Indonesian Medical Council is required, and the equivalency results are limited to academic scope, not professional.
The regulations will change in October 2024
Many guides still cite Permendikbudristek Number 6 of 2022. That regulation has been revoked. Its replacement, Permendikbudristek Number 50 of 2024, will take effect from October 4, 2024.
Article 23 of the new regulation states that diplomas from foreign higher education systems are recognized for continuing education through equivalency conducted by the targeted higher education institution, following the guidelines provided by the ministry. Article 25 emphasizes that proposals submitted to the ministry before October 4, 2024, will still be processed under the old rules.
The ministry's equivalency service is still operational and is free of charge. Since the route now depends on your destination, it is much cheaper to confirm it first with the target university or the ministry's integrated service than to redo the documents.
Sources
- Permendikbudristek Number 50 of 2024 concerning Diplomas, Competency Certificates, and Professional Certificates in Higher Education, State Gazette of 2024 Number 634, JDIH BPK RI.
- Permendikbudristek Number 6 of 2022 concerning Diplomas, Competency Certificates, Professional Certificates, Degrees, and Equivalency of Diplomas from Other Countries, JDIH BPK RI, status not applicable.
- Foreign Diploma Equivalency (PILN), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Frequently Asked Questions and Announcements page.
- Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Directorate General of Higher Education Simplifies Foreign Diploma Equivalency Services Online.
- Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Application for Foreign Diploma Equivalency and GPA Conversion Can Be Online through SIPIKO.