UIN Yogyakarta Breaks 7 Worlds, Defeats Harvard in Religious Studies Ranking

JAKARTA - Four Indonesian state Islamic campuses are in the top 25 in the world. Most striking, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta ranks 7th, surpassing Harvard University in the SCImago 2026 version of religious studies.

The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) 2026 by Subject ranks four State Islamic Religious Universities (PTKIN) in the global elite of the field of religious studies.

UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta is in 7th place in the world. This achievement places it three levels above Harvard University. This position is a strong signal that Indonesian Islamic campuses are no longer just regional players.

Three other PTKINs also broke into the top 10. UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh in 14th place in the world, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta in 21st position, and UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung in 25th place.

SCImago assesses institutions based on three indicators, namely research (50 percent), innovation (30 percent), and social impact (20 percent). The assessment is based on scientific publications and international citations.

Director General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religion, Suyitno, called this achievement a long-term work that is measurable. According to him, the strengthening of publications, cross-country research collaboration, and lecturer capacity building are starting to bear fruit.

"This shows that PTKIN's quality is recognized by the world. The strategies that have been implemented so far have proven to be effective," said Suyitno in Jakarta, Tuesday (31/3/2026).

He emphasized that this achievement is not the end point. PTKIN is asked to expand its global network and strengthen the contribution of Indonesian Islamic scholarship at the international level.

Director of Islamic Religious Higher Education, Sahiron, sees this trend as an indicator of a change in PTKIN's position on the global academic map. According to him, the improvement in the quality of research and international collaboration has a direct impact on the reputation of the campus.

With this achievement, PTKIN shows that global competition in the field of religious studies is no longer dominated by Western campuses. Indonesia is starting to enter as a serious challenger.