How BINUS University Uses AI to Verify 7,500 Prospective Students and Block Exam Fraud

BINUS University in Indonesia is using artificial intelligence to speed up and strengthen identity verification for prospective students, supporting the verification of more than 7,500 applicants across its campuses. The system combines AI face recognition with liveness detection and face comparison, and runs on Microsoft Azure.

Why did BINUS switch to AI verification?

Previously, identity verification was done manually. Each identity took about 8 to 10 minutes to check, and with 30 to 40 participants, staff could spend almost a full working day on the process alone. The manual workflow also left room for exam fraud or impersonation, known locally as joki ujian.

How does the AI verification work?

BINUS implemented AI face recognition equipped with liveness detection and face comparison. A photo captured directly from the participant’s device is compared in real time against reference data, to confirm that the person taking the exam is the registered applicant.

The system runs on Microsoft Azure and can handle up to 750 transactions per second. It was designed to integrate easily with existing systems, and includes fallback mechanisms, manual override and real-time monitoring to keep operations reliable.

What results has BINUS reported?

According to the university, verification that previously took about 10 minutes can now be completed in under 3 seconds, representing an efficiency improvement of up to 95% compared with the manual method. The need for manual intervention has fallen by more than 90%, while the first-attempt verification success rate exceeds 90%.

On the operational side, BINUS estimates the automation saves around Rp195 million, or about US$12,000, per year.

AI beyond admissions

The identity check is part of a broader concept BINUS calls Student Journey AI, built on Microsoft Azure and applied at four key moments of a student’s education: registering, learning, seeking literacy support and preparing for a career.

In learning, the AI Forum Summary tool, powered by Azure OpenAI, helps lecturers condense long online discussions into key points. In trials, summarising one forum discussion fell from 60 to 120 minutes down to about one minute, more than 95% faster, saving more than 30 hours per class in one semester. During the pilot, the system generated 652 summaries and 615 were published, with a lecturer acceptance rate of 94.33%.

For the digital library, BINUS uses Azure AI, Azure Machine Learning and a vector database to recommend collections based on each student’s academic context, including major, courses and reading history. The system is designed to serve more than 2,000 concurrent users, with targets of 8 to 12% higher traffic and 12 to 18% greater access to digital collections.

At the career stage, AI-Driven Career Growth Recommendations, powered by Azure OpenAI’s GPT-4o-mini and integrated with the BINUSMAYA platform, builds profile summaries, career gap analysis, certification recommendations and development plans. BINUS estimates the value of staff capacity saved at around Rp144 million per year as a target cost avoidance.

Stephen Wahyudi Santoso, President of BINUS Higher Education, said the use of AI is not intended as a technology feature alone, but as part of a learning ecosystem that accompanies students from registration to career preparation. Through collaboration with Microsoft, he said, BINUS aims to deliver faster, more relevant and personal experiences while keeping important decisions in the hands of students, lecturers and education staff.

FAQ

Where is the AI verification used?

It supports identity verification for more than 7,500 prospective students across BINUS campuses in Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi, Bandung, Semarang, Malang and Medan.

What happens if the AI system fails?

The system includes fallback mechanisms, manual override and real-time monitoring to maintain operational reliability, according to BINUS.

Is AI used beyond student admissions?

Yes. BINUS also applies AI to forum discussion summaries, digital library recommendations and career guidance as part of its Student Journey AI concept.

When was the announcement made?

BINUS released the statement on August 14, 2026, as reported by Indonesian business media Katadata.

Source: Katadata