On Friday, 29 August 2025, a training session on the preparation of joyful-learning-based teaching was held for teachers of the Special Sports Class (KKO) at the Labschool UNY, located in Yogyakarta.
UNY once again made history by holding its largest-ever graduation ceremony. Over three consecutive days (Tuesday to Thursday, 26-28 August 2025), a total of 5,320 students from diploma, bachelor, master and doctoral programmes were officially graduated at the GOR UNY sports hall. This number marks the highest ever in UNY’s graduation history. Of the total graduates, 135 were from the Doctoral Programme, 1,171 from Master’s, 3,386 from Bachelor’s, and 628 from Applied Bachelor’s.
Reni Novia Alfiyanti was born into a simple rural family, the youngest of three siblings. Her father, Haryanto, works as a farmer, while her mother, Nur Khaniyati, is a loving homemaker. From her parents, Reni learned the meaning of hard work, patience and sincerity. A modest life did not discourage her – on the contrary, it became the spark for her to keep striving. To her, pursuing higher education is an honour not only for herself but also the greatest gift to her family.
An inspiring story comes from Otto Wahyudi, a visually-impaired young man from Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, who successfully passed the 2025 National-Based Test Selection (SNBT) at UNY.
He was admitted to the Bachelor’s programme in Special Needs Education (PLB) at the Faculty of Education at UNY, scoring 606 on the test. Otto comes from a modest family. His father, Herison, works as a farm labourer and his mother, Reni Oktaviani, is a homemaker and the main supporter of his education. Despite economic constraints and his physical impairment, Otto’s strong spirit never diminished.
The Community Service Program (Kuliah Kerja Nyata Mandiri) Team 26723 of UNY, stationed in Padukuhan Ngringinan, Palbapang, Bantul, carried out education on managing organic and inorganic waste as part of the community service activities. This initiative embodies the vision of UNY “Berdampak” (Impactful) and the “Dikti Saintek Berdampak” programme in building environmental awareness and empowering the community.
Mutiara Widiawati—affectionately called “Mutia”—is now officially listed as a freshman in the D4 Fashion Design Study Program at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). She hails from Jetis Sumuran, Palbapang, Bantul, and is the youngest of six siblings. A graduate of SMK N 1 Pandak, she succeeded in getting into UNY via the National Achievement-Selection (SNBP) route.
Her father, Suparjo, works as a laborer, while her mother, Suratmi, is a homemaker. Among her six siblings, one of her older brothers also studied at UNY.
The Community Service Team (PKM) from UNY held a training and practical session for the residents of Dusun Jomboran, Minggir, Sleman, on Friday, 15 August 2025. The session, which took place in a local resident’s house and was attended by 30 participants, aimed to provide education and skills to effectively and environmentally manage household organic waste.
Five UNY students developed an innovation in oral health care through the Student Creativity Entrepreneurship Programme (PKM-K) 2025. The product, called Covatab, is a tooth-cleanser tablet made from coconut-shell charcoal and rice-husk silica, free from sulfates, effective in removing plaque, safe for use, and environmentally friendly.
UNY has again made history by admitting a prospective student whose age is far younger than the average. Fairuz Khalishah Sastaviana succeeded in passing the selection and was declared the youngest student at UNY for the 2025/2026 academic year, at the very young age of 16 years and 3 months.
Known affectionately as Fairuz, she was admitted into the Bachelor’s programme in English Language Education, Faculty of Languages, Arts and Culture, UNY through the Independent Selection CBT (Computer Based Test).
The student choir PSM Swara Wadhana from UNY continued to carve out a proud achievement on the world stage. The choir successfully brought home three prestigious awards from the Taipei International Choral Competition 2025 (TICC 2025) held in Taipei, Taiwan. At the competition, which was attended by dozens of choirs from various countries, PSM Swara Wadhana demonstrated outstanding vocal quality and musicianship.
