Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) is committed to providing inclusive and equitable access to higher education for all segments of society, including prospective students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This commitment is formalised through Rector Regulation of Universitas Negeri Padang No. 04 of 2022 concerning Student Admission at Universitas Negeri Padang. The regulation establishes fairness, transparency, and accountability as fundamental principles of student admission and prohibits discrimination based on prospective students' economic circumstances.

Specifically, Article 5 paragraph (2) stipulates that UNP allocates at least 20% of its total student admission capacity to prospective students with high academic potential but limited financial means, as well as applicants originating from frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged regions (3T). This admission target is distributed across all study programmes at the university.

This policy represents UNP's institutional effort to expand higher education opportunities for individuals facing financial barriers and limited access to education. Through this admission target, UNP seeks to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent academically capable prospective students from pursuing higher education.

Accordingly, UNP's student admission regulation provides a formal institutional framework for promoting more inclusive access to higher education, particularly for prospective students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and underserved regions.

In 2025, Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) remained committed to strengthening inclusive and equitable access to higher education, particularly for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This commitment was demonstrated through the implementation of the Indonesia Smart College Programme (Program Indonesia Pintar Pendidikan Tinggi) through the Smart Indonesia College Card (Kartu Indonesia Pintar Kuliah or KIP Kuliah), which provides financial assistance to alleviate economic barriers and ensure students' continued access to higher education.

The KIP Kuliah programme establishes maximum funding periods according to the respective levels of higher education as an institutional mechanism to encourage timely degree completion. The prescribed funding periods are up to four semesters for Diploma Two (D2) programmes, six semesters for Diploma Three (D3) programmes, and eight semesters for Bachelor's degree (S1) programmes. These provisions establish a clear timeframe within which financial assistance is provided, encouraging recipients to plan and complete their academic requirements within the normal study period applicable to their respective programmes.

Through this policy, UNP seeks to ensure that financial limitations do not prevent students from maintaining their academic progression and successfully completing their studies. Educational financial assistance is expected to strengthen student retention, mitigate the risk of university dropout, and facilitate the achievement of graduation targets within the prescribed funding periods.

This policy reflects UNP's institutional commitment to promoting inclusive, sustainable, and equitable higher education. Beyond expanding educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged communities, UNP emphasizes academic success and timely degree completion, ensuring that socioeconomic background does not become a barrier to educational attainment.

Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) recognises that socioeconomic disparities remain a significant factor influencing access to and participation in higher education. Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may face financial constraints that affect not only their ability to enter university but also their capacity to sustain their studies and complete their academic programmes. In response to this challenge, UNP implements institutional support measures aimed at reducing economic barriers, promoting equitable access to higher education, and creating a more inclusive academic environment.

One of the principal forms of financial assistance provided to eligible students is the Kartu Indonesia Pintar (KIP) Kuliah programme, a government-funded initiative designed to facilitate access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged households. Through this programme, UNP supports students in overcoming financial constraints associated with pursuing university education. In 2025, a total of 3,207 newly admitted students at UNP received KIP Kuliah assistance, demonstrating the university's role in facilitating broader participation in higher education among students with limited economic resources.

In addition to financial assistance, UNP provides student accommodation through its on-campus dormitory facilities. Access to these facilities is prioritised for KIP Kuliah recipients and newly admitted students originating from outside West Sumatra Province. The provision of university accommodation represents a complementary form of non-financial support, particularly in addressing students' living and housing needs. By facilitating access to accommodation within the university environment, UNP seeks to mitigate additional living expenses and support students' adaptation to university life.

The integration of financial assistance through KIP Kuliah and access to student dormitories reflects UNP's approach to addressing the multidimensional challenges faced by students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These measures are intended to support not only initial access to higher education but also students' ability to participate in academic activities under more equitable socioeconomic conditions. Through these initiatives, UNP contributes to the broader objective of inclusive and equitable higher education, particularly in advancing SDG 1 (No Poverty) and .

Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) demonstrates its institutional commitment to ensuring equitable access to higher education and supporting students from low-income households through a range of financial assistance and scholarship programmes.

In 2025, UNP supported students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds through several financial aid schemes, including the Kartu Indonesia Pintar Kuliah (KIP Kuliah), university-managed zakat scholarships, institutional scholarships, and external scholarship partnerships. Through the KIP Kuliah programme, UNP facilitated assistance for 3,207 new student recipients in the 2025 intake, representing approximately 27% of the university's student population, as reported during the programme's official launch and savings account distribution event.

In addition, UNP strengthened its institutional support through the University Zakat Collection Unit (UPZ UNP), which provided scholarships to 200 students in 2025. At the departmental level, the Chemistry Department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences introduced the Equilibrium Scholarship, funded through lecturers' donations, prioritising students from financially disadvantaged families and providing tuition fee assistance.

UNP also facilitated access to the West Sumatra BAZNAS educational assistance programme, which allocated an initial quota of 100 students from low-income families. Furthermore, the university conducted monitoring and evaluation of KIP Kuliah and Educational Assistance Programme (BBP) recipients to assess their academic, personal, and economic circumstances and support the continuity of financial assistance.

Through these initiatives, UNP seeks to reduce financial barriers to higher education, prevent economic hardship from becoming a reason for students to discontinue their

Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) demonstrates its commitment to the internationalization of higher education through its active participation in the 2025 Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship (KNB) Program. This commitment is reflected in UNP's designation as one of the higher education institutions entrusted with managing the KNB Scholarship Program, as stipulated in the Decree of the Director General of Higher Education Number 3/B/KPT/2025, dated 6 January 2025, concerning Higher Education Institutions Managing the Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship Program in 2025. This designation provides an institutional basis for UNP to contribute to the implementation of scholarship opportunities for international students from various countries.

Furthermore, pursuant to the Decree of the Director General of Higher Education Number 72/B/KPT/2025, dated 14 July 2025, concerning the Appointment of Foreign Students as Recipients of the Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship (KNB) for Undergraduate, Master's, and Doctoral Programs in the 2025 Fiscal Year, a total of four international students were designated as KNB Scholarship recipients at Universitas Negeri Padang. These students come from Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, and The Gambia, comprising one undergraduate student, two master's students, and one doctoral student. They are enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering Education, Public Administration, English Language Education, and Educational Administration study programs, respectively.

UNP's participation in the KNB Scholarship Program represents an institutional contribution to expanding access to higher education for international students while strengthening the international dimension of its academic activities. Through this program, UNP seeks to foster a multicultural academic environment, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and cross-cultural experiences, and expand its international higher education networks. Accordingly, the implementation of the KNB Scholarship Program forms part of UNP's strategic efforts to enhance its institutional reputation and competitiveness at the global level.

In 2025, Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) continued to strengthen its contribution to community economic empowerment through various community engagement initiatives aimed at enhancing entrepreneurial capacity, strengthening micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and promoting local economic self-reliance. One of these initiatives was implemented by a team of lecturers from the Department of Economics Education, Faculty of Economics, through a Community Partnership Program in Ulak Karang Selatan, Padang City, on 12–13 July 2025. The program involved entrepreneurship training through the practical preparation of homemade sardines, designed to equip community members with relevant skills to establish and develop home-based businesses while strengthening household economic independence. The initiative also incorporated parenting education in the digital era to enhance family capacity in fostering positive social environments and supporting the development of younger generations.

Furthermore, through its Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), UNP conducted a capacity-building program for MSME entrepreneurs in Sijunjung Regency, West Sumatra. The program focused on strengthening entrepreneurs' knowledge and competencies in leveraging digital technologies to support business development and expand market outreach. The training covered digital marketing strategies, brand development, and the effective utilization of various digital platforms to enhance product promotion and facilitate access to broader markets, including international markets.

Collectively, these initiatives demonstrate UNP's commitment to translating academic expertise and institutional knowledge into practical solutions that address the needs of local communities. Through knowledge transfer, practical skills development, entrepreneurship training, and digital literacy enhancement, UNP seeks to improve the competitiveness of local businesses, generate productive economic opportunities, and strengthen community economic self-reliance. These efforts extend beyond business productivity and enterprise sustainability, contributing to improved household well-being and inclusive, sustainable socio-economic development.

In 2025, Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) actively participated in supporting the government's poverty alleviation policies through its involvement in the Sekolah Rakyat (People's School) Programme, an initiative led by the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The programme represents a national strategy to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by expanding access to quality education for children from poor and extremely poor households.

UNP's participation was demonstrated through the involvement of its Rector in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia on 28 April 2025. During the discussion, UNP expressed its institutional readiness to support the programme by contributing educational personnel, facilities, and university assets. The forum also involved the Vice Governor of West Sumatra and several regional government representatives, providing an opportunity for coordination among national and regional stakeholders in advancing the poverty alleviation agenda.

This commitment was subsequently translated into concrete institutional action through the signing of a building-use agreement between the Rector of UNP and the Minister of Social Affairs on 10 July 2025. Under the agreement, UNP provided access to its facilities at the Air Tawar Campus for the operation of a senior secondary-level Sekolah Rakyat. This collaboration represented UNP's contribution to the implementation of the national poverty alleviation policy, in line with Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 concerning the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation and the Eradication of Extreme Poverty.

Through its participation in policy discussions and formal collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs, UNP demonstrates the role of higher education institutions in supporting government-led poverty alleviation initiatives. This engagement contributes to expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged communities, addressing structural barriers to education, and promoting long-term improvements in social welfare.