Showcasing Inclusive Innovation, UNU Jogja Breaks into the Global Top 20 at the QS Reimagine Education 2025

London, United Kingdom – UNU Jogja showcased its breakthrough programs for persons with disabilities and students from economically vulnerable backgrounds at the QS Reimagine Education Awards and Conference 2025, organized by QS Quacquarelli Symonds in collaboration with The Wharton School, held at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Westminster, London, Monday, December 1.

The QS Reimagine Education is a global forum for higher education and edtech innovators. This year’s event carried the theme “Mind the Gap – It's Getting Wide,” encouraging universities worldwide to seize new opportunities, rewrite outdated frameworks, and redesign future-ready education systems. Beyond serving as a platform for sharing ideas and breakthroughs, the event also celebrates innovative universities that have successfully enhanced learning quality, graduate employability, and sustainable educational advancement.

Representing UNU Jogja, Nabil Satria Faradis presented the university’s innovation landscape over the past four years. He highlighted UNU Jogja’s strong commitment to becoming an inclusive university for students with disabilities and learners from low-income families.

Speaking before global university leaders, business school executives, edtech visionaries, and QS experts, Nabil emphasized that only 90 out of 4,532 higher education institutions in Indonesia currently admit students with disabilities. As a university less than ten years old, UNU Jogja has taken bold steps to be part of this inclusive minority.

“We aim to make higher education genuinely accessible for students with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds—groups that are often excluded from the system,” Nabil said.

He explained that UNU Jogja provides access to education for 85% of its students, who come from economically vulnerable families and disability groups. These innovations are implemented through university policies, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and strong support from donors and scholarship sponsors.

“We envision a future where equity becomes the heart of education—ensuring that every learner, regardless of physical ability or economic status, has meaningful access to quality higher education,” he added.

The university also ensures accessibility in infrastructure, digital platforms, mobility services, academic mentoring, and personalized assistance. These efforts are strengthened by the Centre for GEDSI UNU Jogja, a dedicated unit responsible for ensuring the fulfillment of disability rights in line with the university’s mission.

UNU Jogja has also played an active role in raising awareness and supporting institutional transformation across Indonesian universities to improve accessibility and disability-inclusive services.

“Together with UWE Bristol, we have visited several universities across different provinces to conduct awareness campaigns and institutional training. These initiatives have resulted in inclusive policies that integrate global best practices into national reforms,” Nabil said.

These initiatives not only bring positive changes within UNU Jogja but also help shape national progress toward inclusive higher education.

“Building inclusivity at UNU Jogja is not a side project—it is one of our core values,” Nabil concluded, followed by enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Thanks to these wide-ranging innovations, UNU Jogja earned global recognition as one of the Top 20 shortlisted universities at the QS Reimagine Education 2025. Out of thousands of applications submitted worldwide, only 207 projects advanced to the evaluation stage, and UNU Jogja succeeded in securing a spot among the top 20 global innovators. [Latifah]