Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo

Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo (UNUSIDA), also known as UNU Sidoarjo, is a private Islamic university located in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. It is part of the Asosiasi Perguruan Tinggi Nahdlatul Ulama (APTINU), an association of higher education institutions affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Islamic organization. The university was established on 4 July 2014 by decree of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (SK PT 195/E/O/2014), following efforts by local community leaders and the Nahdlatul Ulama education board (BPPPTNU - UNU Sidoarjo) to expand access to higher education in the region. The inauguration was attended by prominent figures including PBNU Secretary-General Marsudi Syuhud, then East Java Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf, Sidoarjo Regent Syaiful Illah, and PKB Secretary-General Imam Nahrowi. UNUSIDA offers undergraduate (S1) programs through five faculties: Economics (Management, Accounting), Engineering (Industrial Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering), Teacher Training and Education (Primary School Teacher Education, English Language Education), Computer Science (Visual Communication Design, Information Systems, Informatics Engineering), and Islamic Religion (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education, Early Childhood Islamic Education). The university emphasizes three pillars for its students: Aswaja (Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah) values, entrepreneurship, and technology. It provides scholarships for underprivileged students and maintains a campus environment designed to support teaching and learning. The university has received institutional accreditation "Baik Sekali" (Very Good) from BAN-PT for the period 2023–2028, and was placed in the main cluster of higher education institutions by Kemdikbudristek in 2024. It has also earned recognition, including first place in the Nahdlatul Ulama university award category in 2020 and an Anugerah Kampus Unggulan (AKU) award from Kopertis East Java in 2015. UNUSIDA continues to operate as a private university under the Nahdlatul Ulama umbrella, serving students primarily from Sidoarjo and the wider East Java region.

The desire to establish a higher education institution in Sidoarjo had been a goal of local community leaders since the 2010s, as a means to help accelerate the government's target of increasing the gross enrollment rate (APK-PT) in Indonesia and to assist the government in educating the public at the higher education level. Many of the best high school graduates from Sidoarjo and East Java generally had to go to Central Java, West Java, DKI Jakarta, and DI Yogyakarta to continue their studies. On the other hand, East Java Province, particularly Sidoarjo Regency, required a large number of university graduates to carry out development activities in the region. Sidoarjo Regency is also a geographically strategic area in East Java, known as a "Santri city" reflecting the strong religiosity of its people. However, higher education in the region had not shown optimal development; instead, there was a concerning proliferation of distant classes of private universities from other regions in Sidoarjo Regency. Additionally, many educational personnel, teachers, and other functional staff had not met academic competency standards (S1 graduates). To address this, the Nahdlatul Ulama Association, through the Badan Pelaksana Penyelenggara Pendidikan Tinggi Nahdlatul Ulama - UNU Sidoarjo (BPPPTNU - UNU Sidoarjo), sought to improve the quality of education across its regions at various levels, supported by all segments of society, including higher education as an institution producing professionals. Therefore, BPPPTNU - UNU Sidoarjo deemed it necessary to establish a higher education institution named Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo, abbreviated as UNU Sidoarjo or UNUSIDA, to produce graduates (bachelor's degree holders) with mastery of science and technology imbued with Qur'anic insight. The reason for establishing UNU Sidoarjo was also motivated by the development of science and the demands of the times. Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo was established on 4 July 2014 through Decree PT 195/E/O/2014 issued by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education. The inauguration of UNUSIDA was carried out by PBNU Secretary-General Marsudi Syuhud, East Java Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf, Sidoarjo Regent Syaiful Illah, PKB Secretary-General Imam Nahrowi, a number of NU kiai from across Sidoarjo, and officials of the Sidoarjo Regency Government. UNUSIDA provides scholarships for underprivileged students. In 2015, less than a year after its establishment, UNUSIDA received an award from the Private Higher Education Coordinating Body (Kopertis) of East Java in the Anugerah Kampus Unggulan (AKU) event for outstanding private universities in four areas: institutional governance and cooperation, education and teaching staff, research and community service, and learning and student affairs, ranking 42nd out of 319 private universities in East Java. In 2020, UNUSIDA achieved first place in the category of Badan Hukum Perkumpulan Nahdlatul Ulama in the National Best Nahdlatul Ulama Campus Award, presented at the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of Nahdlatul Ulama Higher Education Institutions in Pekalongan on 23 December 2020. In 2023, the institutional accreditation from BAN-PT for the period 2023–2028 was "Baik Sekali" (Very Good), based on Decree No. 529/SK/BAN-PT/Ak/PT/VIII/2023 dated 15 August 2023. In 2024, UNUSIDA was placed in the main cluster of higher education clustering based on Decree No. 1548/E5/AL.04/2024 dated 19 December 2024 by Kemdikbudristek RI. The university has also been ranked by various bodies: 256th in Indonesia by UniRank 4ICU (2022), 452nd in Indonesia by AD Scientific Index (2022), 560th in Indonesia by Webometrics (2022), and 732nd in Indonesia by SINTA Kemdikbud RI (2022).

• Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo established by Decree PT 195/E/O/2014 issued by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education.

• Received Anugerah Kampus Unggulan (AKU) award from Kopertis East Java, ranking 42nd out of 319 private universities in East Java.

• Awarded first place in the Badan Hukum Perkumpulan Nahdlatul Ulama category at the National Best Nahdlatul Ulama Campus Award in Pekalongan.

• Institutional accreditation "Baik Sekali" (Very Good) from BAN-PT for 2023–2028 period.

• Placed in the main cluster of higher education clustering by Kemdikbudristek RI.

A private Islamic university under Nahdlatul Ulama, emphasizing Aswaja values, entrepreneurship, and technology to produce graduates with Qur'anic insight.

• Faculty of Economics

  Offers undergraduate programs in Management and Accounting.

• Faculty of Engineering

  Offers undergraduate programs in Industrial Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Chemical Engineering.

• Faculty of Teacher Training and Education

  Offers undergraduate programs in Primary School Teacher Education and English Language Education.

• Faculty of Computer Science

  Offers undergraduate programs in Visual Communication Design, Information Systems, and Informatics Engineering.

• Faculty of Islamic Religion

  Offers undergraduate programs in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education and Early Childhood Islamic Education.

1. 1UNUSIDA - Universitas NU Sidoarjounusida.ac.id
2. 2Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sidoarjo - Wikipedia Indonesiaid.wikipedia.org