This study explores the impact of Project-Based Learning (PBL) on the development of 21st-century skills—specifically critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity—among students in Indonesian higher education institutions. As Indonesia embraces the Merdeka Belajar–Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) initiative, equipping students with these competencies becomes increasingly crucial to meeting global workforce demands. Utilizing a quantitative research approach, data were collected from 200 students across various disciplines and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS 3.0). The results demonstrate that PBL has a positive and significant effect on all four dimensions of 21st-century skills. The strongest impact was on critical thinking, followed closely by collaboration, creativity, and communication. These findings support the integration of experiential and student-centered learning strategies to enhance graduate readiness in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
Yuanti et al. (Thu,) studied this question.