UNY organised a soft-skills development activity for new students admitted via the National Selection Based on Tests (SNBT) in 2025. The activity was officially opened by the Rector of UNY, Prof. Sumaryanto, at the UNY Auditorium on Tuesday, 8 July 2025. In his speech, the Rector emphasised the importance of developing soft skills as the main provision for students in facing the challenges of campus life and the future working world. “He said, ‘UNY students must possess excellent character that is not only academically smart, but also adaptive, communicative, collaborative, and has high ethics and integrity.’”

This activity is part of the university’s compulsory annual programme aimed at equipping new students with non-academic abilities such as effective communication, time management, decision making, and behaviour ethics. This year, as many as 2,274 students from the SNBT track across various faculties participated in the activity in both on-site and online formats, divided into two waves. On Tuesday 8 July 2025, 1,129 students took part representing the Faculties of Education, Languages/Arts & Culture, Science & Mathematics, and Economics & Business. On Wednesday 9 July 2025, 1,145 students from the Faculties of Social & Political Sciences, Engineering, Sports & Health Sciences, Vocational Studies, Medicine, Psychology and Law took part.

The activity was fully supported by 428 lecturers from all faculties and 91 instructors who were prepared to accompany students during practical sessions. The materials delivered included ‘Campus Life Transformation and UNY Excellent Policy’, ‘Growth Mindset and Career Development in the 21st Century’, as well as various practices such as mind-mapping, time management, decision making, and character development based on local culture. The students’ enthusiasm was evident during the event. One participant from the Faculty of Education, Aulia Aini, stated that the material presented was very relevant and helped them become more prepared for university life.

With this development, UNY hopes that the new students will not only excel intellectually but also be ready to become resilient, creative individuals with global competitiveness