UNISSULA Ensures Equal Access for Women in Admissions and University Participation

Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) applies an equal-access approach to student admissions and university participation. Women are provided the same opportunities as other applicants to apply, be accepted, enter degree programmes, and participate fully in academic and student life.

UNISSULA does not impose gender-based admission quotas or restrictions that limit the number or proportion of women entering the university. Admission targets are established according to study programme capacity and institutional planning rather than by gender.

This principle is reflected in Rector Decision No. 9701/D.3/SA/IX/2024 concerning Student Admission Targets for the 2025/2026 Academic Year. The decision establishes admission targets for diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional programmes and serves as a formal guideline for student admissions in the 2025/2026 academic year.

Equal Opportunity in Applications

Women have equal opportunity to apply to UNISSULA academic programmes.

Application procedures, academic requirements, and programme information are made available without gender-based restrictions. Women are not assigned lower quotas and are not prevented from applying to particular programmes because of gender.

The university’s approach is based on academic eligibility, programme requirements, and available capacity.

Equal Treatment in Acceptance and Entry

Applicants are assessed according to the academic and administrative requirements of the relevant programme.

Gender is not used as a basis for restricting admission.

If the number of qualified women applicants is higher than the number of men, this does not create an institutional barrier. Women may therefore represent an equal or greater proportion of admitted students where this occurs naturally through the admissions process.

For the 2025 admissions cycle, UNISSULA recorded:

These figures demonstrate that women were able to progress from application through acceptance to university entry without a separate gender-based ceiling.

Admission Targets Are Based on Academic Programmes, Not Gender

The 2025/2026 admission targets were formally established through Rector Decision No. 9701/D.3/SA/IX/2024.

The annex sets targets for individual study programmes, including Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Civil Engineering, Law, Management, Accounting, Psychology, Pharmacy, Midwifery, and other programmes. The targets are specified according to programme capacity rather than separate male and female quotas.

This structure supports equal opportunity because participation is determined through the relevant programme requirements rather than predetermined gender limits.

Equal Participation after Entry

UNISSULA’s equal-access principle continues after students have entered the university.

Women students have opportunities to participate in:

• teaching and learning;
• academic advising;
• research activities;
• student organisations;
• leadership programmes;
• scholarships and financial assistance;
• mentoring;
• counselling and wellbeing services;
• entrepreneurship programmes;
• community service;
• professional development;
• sports and campus activities; and
• other university services.

Participation is based on the relevant academic, organisational, or programme requirements rather than gender.

Women’s Participation in the 2025 Student Intake

In 2025, UNISSULA recorded 5,546 students starting a degree, including 2,788 women.

Women therefore represented 50.27% of students starting degree study during the year.

This broadly balanced entry profile is consistent with an admissions framework that does not impose gender-based restrictions on women’s participation.

UNISSULA also recorded 992 first-generation women among the 2,788 women starting a degree, indicating that women from first-generation university backgrounds also formed a substantial part of the university’s new student population.

Monitoring Women’s Access and Participation

UNISSULA systematically monitors women’s progression through the admissions process.

The university records and reviews participation across the main stages:

Application → Acceptance → Registration → Entry → Participation

This monitoring allows the university to identify changes in women’s access and participation over time and to recognise academic areas where additional outreach or support may be useful.

Supporting Women throughout University Life

Equal access does not end with admission.

Women students are able to access academic and student support systems available across UNISSULA, including:

• scholarships;
• academic guidance;
• mentoring;
• counselling;
• health and wellbeing services;
• career development;
• student organisations; and
• leadership opportunities.

This approach supports women not only in entering the university but also in participating fully in university life.

Continuity of the Admission Policy Framework

UNISSULA continues to establish admission targets through formal Rector Decisions.

This framework was continued through Rector Decision No. 10604/F/SA/XI/2025 concerning Student Admission Targets for the 2026/2027 Academic Year, issued on 20 November 2025. The decision again establishes admission targets by academic programme and level of study.

The 2025 decision formally states that the targets serve as guidance for new student admissions across diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, professional, and specialist programmes and take effect from the date of establishment.

The continuation of this programme-based admissions framework demonstrates an ongoing institutional approach to admissions planning without gender-specific admission ceilings.

Institutional Principle

UNISSULA’s approach can be summarised as:

Women have equal opportunity to apply, be accepted, enter, and participate in university education without gender-based admission restrictions or quotas.

The university does not seek to impose a predetermined proportion of women and men. Instead, it seeks to ensure that gender does not become a barrier to access or participation.