This study aims to analyze the factors that have a significant influence on the interest of Riau University students in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program using a machine learning approach. MBKM is an innovation initiated by the Ministry of Education and Culture with the aim of improving student competence through its various programs. The Riau University as one of the universities supports this program by providing opportunities for its students to participate in various activities provided in the MBKM program. This study will specifically use a machine learning approach by utilizing several methods to analyze significant factors that have not been analyzed in depth by previous studies. The methods used in this analysis are logistic regression, decision trees, random forests, and naive bayes by utilizing secondary data on the level of interest of Riau University students to participate in the MBKM program in 2023. The variables used in this study include gender, generation, faculty, knowledge, self-confidence, feeling benefits, family support, friend support, lecturer support, self-ability, and facilities as independent variables and MBKM interest as a dependent variable. The results of the analysis of several methods show that the logistic regression method provides the best performance in modeling with an accuracy level of 95%. Variables that have a significant influence on students' interest in the MBKM program have also been successfully identified. The variables that have a significant effect are self-ability and family support. The development strategy of MBKM at the University of Riau can be optimized by paying attention to and focusing on these variables. The optimization of this strategy aims to make the implementation of the program more effective and efficient. Supportive policies such as workshops for the development of students' soft skills can be one of the strategic steps to improve students' abilities to the maximum