Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) opens its campus as a place of learning for the wider community. Throughout 2025, UNY held a range of educational events on campus that were open to the general public and free of charge. Some are part of the annual calendar, whilst others were organised in response to current issues.

One of the most eagerly awaited annual events is the Festival Dalang Cilik (Young Puppeteer Festival). First held in 2011, the festival has taken place every year since as part of UNY's anniversary (Dies Natalis) celebrations. In 2025, its fifteenth edition ran from 13 to 15 May at the Pendopo Foodcourt on the UNY campus, marking the university's 61st anniversary. Eighteen finalists from primary and junior secondary schools, selected from 58 entrants from the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java, performed wayang stories in front of the judges and an audience. Members of the public could watch the performances free of charge. Pupils from several primary schools also came along to watch and learn about wayang stories and moral values outside the classroom.

Another programmed event is Srawung Pendidikan, a public discussion series hosted by the Faculty of Education. On Wednesday, 26 February 2025, Srawung Pendidikan #4 discussed "Fair Education in Primary Schools" from the second floor of the Early Childhood and Primary Education Laboratory Building. Participants included teachers, academics, students and education practitioners. The series continued on 8 October 2025 with Srawung Pendidikan #6, themed "The Direction and Transformation of National Education Policy", held in a hybrid format by the faculty's Centre of Excellence for Educational Studies (PUI KIP). The discussions are open to the public and free to attend.

Alongside its annual events, UNY also held one-off educational events. On Thursday, 19 June 2025, the Faculty of Languages, Arts and Culture held a German Culture Exhibition within the faculty. Twenty-three student groups ran stands on German traditions, everyday life and contemporary issues, and visitors were invited to take part in short activities at each stand. The exhibition was open to all visitors free of charge.

On Monday, 22 September 2025, the Faculty of Law held a national seminar entitled "Reforming Criminal Procedure Law: The Criminal Procedure Code Bill as a Step towards Sustainable Justice" at Faculty of Law North Building in UNY Campus. Prof. Dr. Moh. Mahfud MD gave the keynote address alongside academics from several universities. Students, lecturers, legal practitioners and members of the public attended, both in person and online. The seminar was free to attend.

Five days later, on Saturday, 27 September 2025, the Social Studies Education Student Association and the Department of Social Studies Education held the National Seminar Sosial Politika 2025, themed "Digital Democracy and New Challenges: Public Responses to National Policy in the Digital Era". The seminar took place in a hybrid format, with a face-to-face session at FISIP Dekanat Building UNY Campus and a live broadcast on Zoom. Participants included members of the public and students from several universities, including UNY, ISI, UPI, Universitas Hasanuddin and UIN Sunan Kalijaga. The seminar was free and open to the public.

Through these events, UNY shows that its campus is an open space for learning. Anyone can come along, broaden their knowledge, join the discussion and keep learning throughout their lives.