The University of North Sumatra (USU) was designated as a Legal Entity State University (PTN-BH) based on Law Number 12 of 2012 concerning Higher Education Article 97 letter c dated August 10, 2012. Furthermore, the USU Statute was determined based on Government Regulation Number 16 of 2014 dated February 28 2014. This determination provides flexibility for USU to face increasingly competitive challenges, which need to be dealt with and overcome with a visionary perspective and supported by the ability to formulate strategic steps. Since its establishment as a PTN BH, USU has compiled a long-term planning document for 25 years known as the 2015-2039 USU Long Term Plan (RJP). USU's RJP 2015-2039 is divided into 5 stages of the Five-year Strategic Plan (Renstra). In the period 2020 to 2024, USU has entered and is entering the second phase of development known as USU's Strategic Plan 2020-2024. At this stage the expected achievement is for USU to become a university with international standards characterized by local excellence. In each pillar of the Tridarma of higher education, this achievement is marked by the implementation of world class learning which is rooted in better local excellence, on the research pillar the implementation of research and writing on the results of international cooperation and the acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights ( HaKI) in various countries, as well as in the service pillar, marked by the internalization of a culture of empathy and community service. The stages of USU's development planning for 25 years and the elaboration of USU's milestones in the 2020-2024 period.

On the government side, there is a strong desire to improve the quality of Indonesian higher education so that it is better known to the world by joining the ranks of world-class universities. In the strategic plan of the relevant ministries, there is a priority program known as the World Class University (WCU) program. The aim of the WCU program is to encourage universities in Indonesia to improve their academic reputation at the international level. The measured parameter that is used as a benchmark is the Quality and Success (QS) of the World University Ranking (WUR). The target to be achieved by this Priority Program is to include 11 Indonesian universities in the 500 QS WUR ranking and more Indonesian universities are included in the top 200 of the QS AUR (Asia University Ranking). Since 2020, the University of North Sumatra has been included as a university that is prepared to be included in the ranks of world-class universities in the 500 QS WUR or 200 QS AUR. As one of the assisted universities, USU will receive special funds to encourage the enhancement of USU's reputation at the international level.

The facts above show that there is harmony between the demands of the 2020-2024 USU Strategic Plan with the WCU ministry's strategic program. The WCU Program Assistance provided by the Ministry will be used as initiator funds to carry out several programs that have been formulated in USU's Strategic Plan 2020-2024 which are directly related to enhancing USU's academic reputation. USU also added the use of Non-PNBP funds as support for the implementation of WCU activities. In this proposal, USU's flagship internationalization program will be proposed which will receive WCU Program funds.