The implementation of higher education as an inseparable part of the implementation of national education cannot be separated from the mandate of Article 31 paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. The role of universities as providers of higher education services is very strategic. The role of universities is not only to open access to higher education as the implementation of the constitutional obligation to provide education. Higher education plays a role in developing capabilities and shaping the character and civilization of the nation to produce Indonesian human capital by producing people who believe and fear God Almighty, have a noble character, are healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative, independent, and become citizens democratic and responsible.

Universities carry out this strategic role with some challenges, both from the internal and external environment. The internal challenges of higher education come mainly from higher education governance that has not been carried out according to good university governance standards. The management of universities in Indonesia is still mostly done conventionally, without being based on a strategic plan that is in synergy with the needs of stakeholders or the strategic plans and national priorities developed by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education. The application of the National Higher Education Standards (SNPT) has not been evenly distributed in all universities. External challenges include the following issues; (1) the community is increasingly critical of universities; (2) the number of universities continues to grow; (3) the cost of higher education is increasing while the proportion of the number of families who can pay the tuition fees in higher education fully is decreasing; (4) a major revolution in technology that has a revolutionary impact on the teaching system and how students learn; (5) the profit-making sector has entered the higher education market; (6) while political and financial support for higher education is decreasing.

Such conditions must be faced by universities simultaneously as globalization, including globalization in the education sector. Globalization is a phenomenon that any country, including Indonesia, cannot avoid. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which the Indonesian government has ratified, is the entry point for foreign universities to provide higher education services in Indonesia. Referring to the Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System, Article 65, Chapter XVIII concerning the Implementation of Education by other State Institutions, foreign universities can conduct their education in Indonesia. Several foreign universities have begun expanding into Indonesia, starting from small-scale operations through collaboration with education consultants or establishing branch education units in Indonesia to through cooperation mechanisms with universities in the country. Their goal is to get top students from Indonesia. With a college-age population reaching more than 25 million people and will continue to increase, Indonesia is a very lucrative market for foreign universities. Facing these challenges, universities in Indonesia must continue to develop themselves, improve their quality and relevance.

On the other hand, various problems related to the quality of higher education in Indonesia, among others, occur because the disparity in the quality of education among universities is still very sharp, while the pattern of coaching involving strong universities against weaker ones has not been going well. But basically, every university has a comparative advantage reflected in the differentiation of missions which is the attraction of cooperation and the basic capital for mutual learning so that all universities become learning entities in the archipelago.

In today’s challenging situation, a pattern of cooperation between universities in Indonesia is needed to strengthen competitiveness in the era of globalization of higher education throughout Indonesia. Collaboration among universities and other institutions is very important for improving the quality of higher education in Indonesia. The education cooperation will provide opportunities for national higher education to improve quality, expand access, and strengthen networks between national universities. This collaboration will have an impact on expanding national insight for the academic community of higher education, increasing synergies between universities, increasing resource efficiency for learning and research, developing centers of excellence, improving quality standards among national universities, building joint capacity to improve the nation’s competitiveness and strengthen the role of universities as national glue. All of this will support efforts to educate the nation’s life, which has been mandated in the National Education System Law. Since its inception, the Council of Chancellors of Indonesian State Universities (MRPTNI) with rectors of universities throughout Indonesia as members have agreed to take on a role as a forum for gluing the nation during the issues of pluralism, disintegration, autonomy, and globalization, which are currently rife. The wide bias of the development of this issue is considered to have the potential to erode the Indonesian nation’s cultural roots, character, and identity if it is not accompanied by adequate vigilance, maturity, and national insight from all components of the nation. Universities, as centers for developing intelligence and increasing the dignity of human resources and their capacity as the womb of a culture of peace, must take the initiative in preventing the rift of this nation through education, which is believed to be able to broaden the understanding of national life amid a pluralistic nation. The younger generation and students, in particular, must be able to position themselves as shields of the nation’s civilization. In the future, they can become the pillars of a nation that has high integrity in responding to every change and progress.

In its development, higher education in Indonesia has increasingly felt the magnitude of the inequality in quality, facilities, and independence. Advanced universities are increasingly moving away from less advanced universities, so it is feared that it can trigger the fading of the value of national integrity among students and the younger generation in it.

To be able to contribute to efforts to overcome the various problems above, with the assistance and collaboration with the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, and the IsDB Project is determined to organize Credit Transfer activities, namely activities intended to provide opportunities for students from higher education institutions. College members who are members of the 4 in 1 Project to attend relevant lectures. In academic activities in obtaining credit scores and credit transfer and non-academic activities in the form of extracurricular activities, including cross-cultural understanding activities as long as they meet the predetermined criteria.

For the initial implementation of this activity which is also one of the programs in the IsDB project, it is necessary to make this Credit Transfer Program Guideline.

The Agribusiness Study Program Student Transfer Credit was carried out in the Odd semester of the 2019/2020 Academic Year with Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University in Banten.

The guidelines for implementing credit transfers can be seen at the link Credit Transfer Program Guideline 2020