By Aslam Sa’ad and Nihayatul Wafiroh*

 The policy well-known as link and match in the national system of education, since first applied in the 1990s, has vastly inspired and prompted many of high schools and higher learning institutions to set the programs of study that match and have direct link with the demand in the job market. It is therefore easy to fathom the raison d'être, among other things, why at present most of parents prefer to send their children to universities and colleges that offer the most favorable courses in which students are expected to be well equipped with expertise and proficiency relevant, applicable to the promising future careers. While the opinion that universities’ and colleges’ classes is all about preparing students for job and career is prevalent, instead the departments of Islamic studies in such higher learning institutions as UIN/IAIN/STAIN (Islamic State Universities/Institutes of Islamic Studies) have little, to say the least, to do with money-making jobs. As a result, they often suffer a steady decrease in their intake of students.