Jakarta university offers special entrance scheme for YouTubers

National Development University Veteran Jakarta (UPNVJ) took the internet by storm this week after announcing that YouTubers who have at least 10,000 subscribers may enroll at the university through a special admissions scheme.

Instagram account @infomasukptn, which is dedicated to sharing admissions information from Indonesian universities, shared a post on Wednesday about UPNVJ's jalur prestasi (achievement path) program, which is both for YouTubers and students with sporting achievements in high school or were part of their school's student council for at least a year, as well as hafiz (someone who has memorized the Quran).

The post has gained more than 26,000 likes as of Friday evening.

UPNVJ rector Erna Hernawati confirmed that the university had added YouTubers to its jalur prestasi program this year.

"We think YouTube is a great media to convey positive messages effectively to society," Erna told The Jakarta Post on Friday. "We want those accepted in the university to convey positive messages and influence society for the better."

However, Erna said that YouTubers who want to apply through the special admissions scheme would be screened by a committee to ensure their channels only publish positive content.

"We will not accept those uploading provocative content. We will also test the applicants' skills by requiring them to make a two-to three-minute video on campus. So, if you have 10,000 subscribers, you are not automatically admitted," she said.

A similar test will be given to hafiz and athletes applying for the scheme, she said.

Those who pass would then have to take a computer-based written test (UTBK) to measure their academic knowledge.

"So, admission is based on a combination of their skills and the UTBK," Erna said.

The special admission scheme, which is open for registration from July 12 to 21 at the UPNVJ's official website, only applies to five of the universities departments.

"[The scheme] does not apply to the medical and pharmaceutical department," she said. (asw)

Copyright: The Jakarta Post/ Asia News Network