Universitas Syiah Kuala or in short called USK is a public university, located in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Province. The Province is well-known as the Bumi Syariat Islam, and it is located at the westernmost point of Sumatera Island with rich natural sources, traditions, cultures, and languages. The University is also known as the Heart of the Acehnese or jantong Hatee Rakyat Aceh and is the oldest university in Aceh officially was established on September 2nd, 1961. Universitas Syiah Kuala name was taken from the name of an Islamic Scholar of Aceh, Abdurrauf bin Ali Aljawi Assingkili who is well known as Tengku Syiah Kuala. He established an Islamic School at the river mouth and bequeath it and then it became an Official Higher Education Institution. During this time, he gave a great contribution to education and Islamic values in Aceh.
Besides the main campus Of Universitas Syiah Kuala located in Darussalam, Banda Aceh city, the university has developed a second campus, which is the Study Program outside the Main Campus (PSDKU) located in Gayo Lues district. It was officially established on September 2nd, 2014.
Universitas Syiah Kuala has 12 faculties and a postgraduate school. The faculties are the Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Faculty of Nursing, and Faculty of Dentistry.
Currently, Universitas Syiah Kuala provides 135 study programs that cover the Diploma program, Undergraduate Program, Profession Program, Specialist Program, Master's Program, and Doctoral Program.
With various facilities and programs available, Universitas Syiah Kuala has more than 32.000 students from various regions in Indonesia and other countries.
Universitas Syiah Kuala has successfully reached achievements at the national and international levels, one of them is Malem Diwa Electric Car which competed in the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia competition and successfully became the second-fastest team to complete technical inspection in the electric class.
In the research area, the university also has a good reputation on the national and international levels through its excellent researches and achievements such as Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Research Center and Atsiri Research Center.
Universitas Syiah Kuala has managed scientific journals. Some of them have been recognized and accredited by the Indonesian Citation Index (SINTA) as quartile 1 and 2 Journals. In addition, one of the university’s journals, the journal of Studies in English Language and Education (SiELE) has been indexed by Scopus.
Universitas Syiah Kuala actively participates in several collaborative programs with several countries in Asia and Europe including Erasmus Mobility and Capacity Building Program, IMT-GT (Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle) University Network Program, and Erasmus+ Program.
Universitas Syiah Kuala has a high number of national and international collaborations with some universities and companies across the globe. Through this collaboration, the university successfully held various academic and non-academic events that enhance the university's prestige and build its potential in Indonesia and abroad. Just a few programs known are the Joint Research and Publication Program, Exchange Program, Internship Program, Disaster and Cultural Summer Camp, and Humanitarian Program, along with many others.
Universitas Syiah Kuala cannot only focus is on improving the quality of its education offering and it is proud to offer access to higher education to the community. These matters are supported by the three Unsyiah work units that bridge students or alumni with the university through the Office of International Affairs, Career Development Center, and Entrepreneurship Center. These units help students, staff, and alumni to expand their experiences in academics, business, and beyond.
Therefore, Universitas Syiah Kuala salutes all who work together to continue to make the university what it is today, the heart of Acehnese. The university continuously strives to improve its academic activities, research development, humanitarian projects, and the quality and quantity of scientific publications to realize its mission to become the leading university in Asia and Europe, reaching the level of the World Class University.
Missions of Syiah Kuala University
- To implement “Tri Dharma – three denotations” of higher learning institutions that support local, national and international development by utilizing available local, national and international resources.
- To enhance academic quality in order to produce highly competitive graduates.
- To apply integrated quality management in the field of education through the application of transparent, participatory, efficient, and productive principles.
- To continuously strengthen and broaden the network of institutional cooperation in the effort for developing and preserving the findings of sciences, technology, humanities, sports & arts.
