The renewed trust extended by the Center for Religious Education and Religious Education Financing (Puspenma) of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia to the Applied Psychology Center (APC) of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (Fishum) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga to once again administer the Scholastic Aptitude Test (TBS) for the Beasiswa Indonesia Bangkit (BIB) 2026 scholarship program, stands as formal recognition of UIN Sunan Kalijaga's capacity to manage nationally scaled academic assessments. This second consecutive appointment further consolidates UIN Sunan Kalijaga's position as a strategic government partner in delivering a selection process that is professional, objective, and accountable.

The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Prof. Dr. Erika Setyanti Kusumaputri, affirmed that the trust placed in them by Puspenma was not achieved overnight, but built through consistent human resource quality, an adaptive work system, and an unwavering commitment to ongoing evaluation and improvement.

“Every implementation is always evaluated. This year we introduced a range of refinements, from streamlining coordination procedures and improving communication speed between the technical team and organizers, to benchmarking against best practices from various institutions. The results are evident in the increased efficiency of the implementation and the high participation rate among test-takers,” she explained.

According to Prof. Erika, the credibility of the APC cannot be separated from the academic reputation of UIN Sunan Kalijaga as a university that excels not only in education and research, but also in delivering professional services trusted by various ministries and government agencies.

“APC's status as a unit of UIN Sunan Kalijaga is an important asset in building public trust. However, that trust must be continuously maintained through improved service quality, openness to feedback, and the ability to adapt to the needs of our partners,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Chair of the Applied Psychology Center (APC), Lisnawati, S.Psi., M.Psi., expressed her pride at the renewed confidence shown by Puspenma, while acknowledging that this success also brings with it a far greater responsibility; one that bears directly on the selection process for prospective scholarship recipients who will go on to become the next generation of the nation.

“The success of last year's implementation gave us a foundation of credibility. But what matters more is maintaining the quality of execution. That is why we have taken all the findings from our previous evaluation as the basis for refining our system this year,” she said.

Lisnawati explained that the APC is supported by psychologists and practitioners with competencies in both academic and psychological assessment. This expertise has been put to the test through a range of strategic national assignments, including positional assessments for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH).

This track record, she noted, forms the primary foundation upon which the APC continues to be entrusted with managing various national assessments.

“This trust is not only for the APC; it is also a recognition of UIN Sunan Kalijaga's capacity to deliver professional and reliable assessment services. We want to demonstrate that universities are capable of making a tangible contribution to ministries and state institutions through the expertise they possess,” she said.

Lisnawati further noted that the administration of the BIB Scholastic Aptitude Test also forms part of a broader effort to strengthen UIN Sunan Kalijaga's branding as a university capable of bridging academic competence with the real needs of the government and society.

Looking ahead, the APC, together with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, remains committed to continuing to develop innovations in assessment systems, strengthening human resource competencies, and building robust mechanisms for continuous evaluation. These steps are hoped to further expand UIN Sunan Kalijaga's contribution to supporting Indonesia's human resource selection processes in a manner that is objective, professional, and principled, while also deepening its synergy with Puspenma of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in enhancing the quality of the Beasiswa Indonesia Bangkit scholarship program. (humassk)