History of the Faculty of Psychology at UNY

The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) has a long history, beginning with the Pedagogical Division of the Faculty of Literature, Pedagogy, and Philosophy (Faculty of Literature, Pedagogy, and Philosophy) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). This division was officially established by Government Regulation No. 37 of 1950 and is considered the starting point for the establishment of the Faculty of Education at UNY on August 14, 1950. As part of an internal restructuring at UGM, FSPF UGM was split into three faculties, one of which was the Faculty of Pedagogy. The Psychology Department, initially part of the Faculty of Education at UGM, was then separated and became a part of the Faculty of Psychology at UGM.

In 1964, the Faculty of Education at UGM (FIP UGM), the Faculty of Teacher Training at UGM (FKIP UGM), and the Surakarta Teacher Training Institute (IPG Surakarta) merged to form IKIP Yogyakarta under Presidential Decree No. 1/1963 and Ministerial Instructions from the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research (PTIP) and the Minister of Education and Culture (PPK) No. 32 and 34 of 1964. The Faculty of Education (FIP) became one of the faculties within IKIP Yogyakarta. During this restructuring, the Psychology Department at FIP UGM transitioned to become the Faculty of Psychology at UGM.

A major transformation occurred in 1999 when IKIP Yogyakarta became Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) under Presidential Decree No. 93 of 1999. This change provided opportunities for the development of study programs beyond education. In 1997, UNY hired six psychology lecturers to establish a Psychology Study Program. However, this process was delayed due to the strict regulations of the Psychology Consortium. These lecturers were later assigned to the Counseling and Guidance Program at the Faculty of Education at UNY.

New hope emerged in 2014 when seven psychology lecturers from the Faculty of Education at UNY submitted a proposal to establish the Psychology Study Program. This proposal was fully supported and submitted to the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti). Finally, in 2015, UNY officially established the Psychology Department, offering both undergraduate and graduate programs in Psychology, based on Rector's Decree No. 253 of 2015 and decisions from Kemenristekdikti No. 37/M/KP/III/2015 and No. 551/E/O/2014. March 15, 2015, was designated as the founding day of the department.

Following UNY's transition to a Legal Entity State University (PTN-BH), the Psychology Department became the Department of Psychology under the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FIPP). The journey continued with preparations for the division of FIPP into two separate faculties: the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Psychology. This proposal received academic consideration from the UNY Senate (November 25, 2024) and non-academic consideration from the Board of Trustees (March 27, 2025).

On May 2, 2025, based on the Rector's Decree No. 2.28/UN34/IV/2025 dated April 28, 2025, the Faculty of Psychology at UNY was officially established. This milestone represents a strategic step in addressing the growing need for psychology professionals in society and supporting UNY's contribution to the development of psychology and national development.