Average Education Costs in Indonesia for the 2023/2024 Academic Year

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the average cost of education in Indonesia for the 2023/2024 academic year ranges from Rp4.56 million to Rp19.01 million per year.

The higher the education level, the greater the average cost.

The following is a complete data of the average cost of education in Indonesia during the 2023/2024 academic year, from elementary to higher education:

* Elementary School/equivalent: Rp4.56 million

* Junior High School/equivalent: Rp7.34 million

* Senior High School/Vocational School/equivalent: Rp10.19 million

* Higher Education: Rp19.01 million

The education costs recorded here represent the total amount of registration fees, pocket money, transportation costs, and operational costs such as Education Development Contributions/Single Tuition Fees (SPP/UKT), school uniforms and equipment, textbooks, stationery, and other expenses incurred by students.

Based on its components, the majority of expenses incurred by students at each education level are SPP/UKT fees, followed by clothing and school supplies, pocket money, and transportation costs.

"More than half of the total education costs at the primary, junior high, and senior high/vocational school levels are used for pocket money," said BPS in its report.

"Meanwhile, at the higher education level, in addition to pocket money, SPP/UKT fees also reach one-third of the total education costs," it continued.

Specifically for higher education, the SPP/UKT cost component accounts for 33.47% of the total cost at that level. According to BPS, this percentage is almost five times the SPP/UKT cost at the senior high/vocational school level.

In May 2025, the Constitutional Court (MK) ruled that the central and regional governments must make basic education free, both in public and private schools.

This was stated by the MK in Decision Number 3/PUU-XXII/2024, which amended Article 34 paragraph (2) of Law Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System to:

"The government and regional governments guarantee the implementation of compulsory education at least at the basic education level without charging fees, both for basic education units organized by the government and basic education units organized by the community."

This material review petition was filed by the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network and three housewives, namely Fathiyah, Novianisa Rizkika, and Riris Risma Anjiningrum.