ITS Chancellor Prof. Ir. Bambang Pramujati ST MScEng PhD when delivering his inaugural speech in front of 6,993 new ITS students.

ITS Campus, ITS News — Kicking off the 2025/2026 academic year, the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) officially inaugurated 6,993 new undergraduate (S1) and applied undergraduate (D4) students at the ITS Stadium on Friday morning (August 1). This momentum marked the beginning of a new academic journey for thousands of the nation’s finest sons and daughters at the Campus of Heroes.

In his remarks, ITS Rector Prof. Ir. Bambang Pramujati, ST, MScEng, PhD, stated that ITS students have a significant responsibility to promote their alma mater’s reputation on the global stage. He emphasized the importance of student contributions to building national independence through research and innovation. “In accordance with the ITS motto (Advancing Humanity, ed.), students must be able to utilize technology for the advancement of civilization,” he emphasized.

Bambang also stated that ITS fully supports the development of student potential, both academically and non-academically. Students can utilize the available services and facilities to develop themselves during their studies. The Yogyakarta native also encouraged new students to actively participate in various competitions and student activities to achieve success.

Expert Staff to the Mayor of Surabaya for Development, Economics and Finance, Dr. Agus Imam Sonhaji ST MMT, giving a speech at the Inauguration of New ITS Students 2025

Representing the Mayor of Surabaya, Dr. Agus Imam Sonhaji, ST, MMT, the Mayor’s Expert Staff for Development, Economics, and Finance, welcomed ITS new students from various regions to study in Surabaya. Students from outside the city will receive identification as non-permanent Surabaya residents. “With this residency status, students will receive information regarding regulations and available public services,” he explained.

In his remarks, the ITS Industrial Engineering alumnus also advised new ITS students to focus on gaining knowledge during their studies. Furthermore, academic abilities must be balanced with skills acquired through organizational activities. New students can utilize student activities in various student activity units (UKM) to develop themselves, thus following in the footsteps of ITS alumni who have entered the workforce.

ITS Chancellor Prof. Ir. Bambang Pramujati ST MScEng PhD together with the ITS leadership team when entering the new student inauguration venue guided by the ITS RoboDog

Meanwhile, ITS Vice Rector I for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Nurul Widiastuti, SSi, MSi, PhD, reported that of the 6,993 ITS students inaugurated, 6,105 were from undergraduate programs and 888 from applied undergraduate programs. This number increased compared to the previous year, in line with the addition of several new study programs at ITS.

Nurul explained that this number is a combination of the National Achievement-Based Selection (SNBP), National Test-Based Selection (SNBT), and ITS Independent Selection (SMITS). Through the newly launched SMITS Future Leader and Academic Talent (FLAT) scheme, ITS is also able to attract young talents who have achievements in various fields, such as Paskibraka, Olympiad champions, hafiz (memorizers) of the Quran, Chairperson of the Intra-School Student Organization (OSIS) and others. Through this selection pathway, ITS accepted a total of 1,377 outstanding students. “In addition, we also accepted 149 non-degree foreign students from 13 countries,” explained the ITS Chemistry Professor.

The event also showcased a number of innovative projects and projects from several ITS student units (UKM) that have achieved numerous national and international successes. One that particularly caught the attention of the new students was the presence of a four-legged, dog-shaped robot named RoboDog, based on artificial intelligence from the Robotics UKM, which accompanied the ITS leaders as they entered the inauguration ceremony.

Representatives of new ITS students reading the student pledge at the 2025 ITS New Student Inauguration at the ITS Stadium

Furthermore, to demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability, thousands of ITS new students were encouraged to bring their own drinking water tumblers during the event. This is expected to help reduce the accumulation of plastic water bottles, which are often scattered around during activities.

Through this inauguration ceremony, ITS demonstrated its commitment to realizing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, namely achieving quality and inclusive education for all. This commitment is reflected in the acceptance of 350 new students as recipients of the 2025 Indonesia Smart Card-College (KIP-K) scholarship. Furthermore, point 12 on responsible consumption and production is also emphasized. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: A Rifda Yuni Artika
Translator : Devinka Mutianeira