Four study programs at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) have officially received international accreditation certificates from the German accreditation agency, the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA).
The certificates were symbolically handed over by the UMSU Rector, Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP, to the Deans and Heads of the study programs from the Faculty of Islamic Studies (FAI) and the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) on Saturday (11/10) at the UMSU Auditorium on Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan.
The four accredited programs are Management and Accounting from FEB, as well as Islamic Business Management and Islamic Banking from FAI.
During the ceremony, a video message from the FIBAA assessor team was presented, expressing high appreciation for UMSU.
“We are very impressed by your passion for quality in teaching, research, and societal engagement. We met highly dedicated program directors and enthusiastic students,” said the FIBAA panel representative.
They also praised UMSU’s plan to develop its fourth campus, including the construction of an auditorium and student dormitory. “This is a marvelous opportunity for you,” the FIBAA team stated in the video.
In his remarks, UMSU Rector Prof. Agussani expressed his deep pride and emotion over this achievement, describing the success as the result of collective effort across the university.
“Even though I could not attend the visitation because I was performing Hajj, this outcome proves that the strength of a university lies in its collective and collegial spirit. The system worked, the enthusiasm remained alive, and the results are evident,” he said.
Agussani emphasized that this international recognition marks UMSU’s serious step toward becoming a World Class University.
“These four programs are now recognized as meeting European higher education standards. Moving forward, the FIBAA certificates will appear on student transcripts so that they are acknowledged globally,” he explained.
He also encouraged other faculties to follow this achievement. “Out of more than 40 study programs, only four have earned international accreditation. I hope at least two more will follow next year.”
The Rector also highlighted UMSU’s recent accomplishments in global rankings.
“UMSU is now listed as a reporter in the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking and has entered the top 1500 globally. We have also been invited to South Korea on November 4 for the announcement of the QS Asia Ranking,” he said.
He stressed the importance of international publications and global collaboration to maintain this reputation.
“Our target by 2026 is at least 1,000 Scopus-indexed publications so that we can enter global rankings. This is not a dream, but a concrete plan,” he stated optimistically.
As a form of appreciation, Rector Prof. Agussani, accompanied by BPH Chairman Dr. Bahril Datuk, MM, presented the FIBAA accreditation certificates and bestowed traditional tanjak headpieces to the Deans of FEB and FAI—Assoc. Prof. Dr. Januari S., M.M (FEB) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qorib, M.A (FAI)—for their leadership in securing international accreditation for their faculties.
“These are our champions of international accreditation,” the Rector said, greeted with applause. “I hope this achievement will inspire other faculties so that UMSU becomes even more recognized nationally and globally.”
Earlier, the Head of UMSU’s Quality Assurance Board (BPM), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yan Hendra, M.Si, reported that the FIBAA accreditation process took nearly three years, beginning in 2022.
“The initiative for international accreditation was sparked in 2022 when we attended a socialization event in Bali,” he said.
“Since then, we conducted benchmarking at Universitas Andalas. It has been a long process, full of challenges, requiring strong cooperation from all units at UMSU,” he added.
He also noted that FIBAA will continue monitoring the study programs over the next five years.
“They will continuously review our progress through the university website and provide recommendations for improvement. This is our responsibility in maintaining quality and UMSU’s status as an internationally accredited university,” he said.
The event concluded with a group photo of the Rector, BPH, Vice Rectors, and the entire BPM team, accompanied by renewed enthusiasm to maintain UMSU’s quality and international competitiveness.
The event was attended by the Vice Rectors, UMSU BPH members, BPM team, TASPOS team, OIC team, the Heads of the four accredited study programs, lecturers, staff, students, and representatives from various university units.
