What University Counselling Looks Like
At Jakarta's premium schools, university counselling is a structured, multi-year process.
The counselling team at a premium school typically includes 3-6 dedicated counsellors for a graduating class of 100-200 students. That is a counsellor-to-student ratio of 1:30-1:50 - far better than most school counselling contexts. At a mid-tier school, there may be one counsellor serving the entire secondary school.
The Top Tier
JIS
JIS has the most established university counselling programme in Jakarta. The team includes multiple dedicated college counsellors who work exclusively on university placement. The school produces US-compatible transcripts, which simplifies the application process for American universities.
JIS's graduating class of approximately 200 students provides a large data set for admissions offices - universities know JIS, know what a JIS transcript means, and have years of experience admitting JIS graduates. This institutional familiarity is an advantage that smaller schools cannot replicate.
BSJ
BSJ runs a structured four-year university counselling programme beginning in Year 10. The team has deep relationships with UK universities - Russell Group institutions in particular - and the IGCSE-to-IB pathway produces the profile that British admissions offices expect.
BSJ's published IB results (average 35 in 2024, 34.7 in 2025) are strong enough for competitive applications worldwide. The school places graduates at Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, and LSE, as well as leading universities in the US, Australia and Asia.
AIS
AIS has a university counselling function but does not publish placement data publicly. The school's Australian curriculum heritage gives it natural connections to Go8 universities (Melbourne, Sydney, UNSW, Monash, ANU). The IB Diploma for Years 11-12 provides international portability. AIS is the best Jakarta option for families specifically targeting Australian universities.
ISJ
ISJ does not yet have a sixth form - the secondary campus opening September 2028 will extend the school through to A Levels. University counselling at ISJ will develop as the secondary programme matures. For now, ISJ families will need to move their children to another school (typically BSJ or JIS) for sixth form and university preparation.
The Mid Tier
The mid-tier schools - ACG, Binus Simprug, NJIS, GMIS - all have university counselling provision. The difference is in depth and institutional relationships.
Binus Simprug has the strongest published record among mid-tier schools, with IB results (average 34) that support competitive applications. The school lists university destinations on its website. The student body is majority Indonesian, which means the counselling team has more experience with Indonesian students applying to international universities - a specific expertise.
NJIS is WASC-accredited, which helps for US university applications. The school is smaller (approximately 266 students total), which means the counselling function is also smaller.
ACG and GMIS have counselling provision but limited publicly available data on outcomes. Ask admissions directly.
The honest assessment: if university placement is a priority - and at secondary level, it should be - the counselling infrastructure at JIS and BSJ is in a different category from everything else in Jakarta. This does not mean a mid-tier school cannot produce graduates who attend strong universities. It means the support system is less developed, and the family may need to supplement it with independent research and external guidance.
Questions to Ask
- "How many dedicated university counsellors do you have?" A school with one counsellor serving 500+ secondary students is underresourced. A team of 3-5 for a graduating class of 100-200 is strong.
- "What is the counsellor-to-student ratio in Year 12?" The ratio matters more than the total headcount.
- "Can I see the full university destination list for the last three years?" Not highlights - the full list. This shows consistency and breadth.
- "Which university systems are you strongest in?" Honest schools will tell you where their expertise lies - US, UK, Australian, or a mix.
- "When does the counselling programme start?" Best practice is Year 10. If the answer is "Year 12," the school is starting too late.
- "Do you help with scholarship applications?" For families who need financial aid, the school's familiarity with scholarship processes at target universities is a practical advantage.