Although Indonesia is not a popular option for studying scholarships, more and more people are flocking to the ‘Emerald of the Equator.’ After all, enrollees get to choose from any of 4,000 higher education institutions – all in all offering a total of 27,000 programs.

Add to that, the Indonesian government also offers scholarships that attract talented students from all across the globe. The foremost example is the Beasiswa Kemitraan Negara Berkembang, also known as the KNB scholarship.

Launched in the year 2008, the KNB scholarship has funded about 1,300 students from 90+ countries to help them complete their undergraduate or graduate studies in Indonesia. Successful applicants can choose from a handful of programs in the fields of Humanities, Engineering, Social Science, Science, and Education. In this article, we will be looking at Indonesian Government scholarships for international students.

Indonesian Government Scholarship Awards

The Indonesian Government scholarship was developed to contribute to human resource development in developing countries and to promote cultural understanding – as well as strengthen the relationship – between Indonesia and other nations.

To achieve these objectives, the Indonesian government ensures that Indonesian Government scholars receive the following benefits:

  • Full tuition amount
    • Maximum 8 semesters for Bachelor’s degree, 4 semesters for Master’s, and 6 semesters for Ph.D.
  • Round trip airfare (economy class) plus transportation to the university
  • Settlement allowance amounting to IDR 1.50 million (about $105)
  • Monthly book allowance
  • Monthly living allowance amounting to IDR 2.25 million (about $155)
  • Monthly health insurance with a maximum amount of IDR 400,000 (about $30)

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for KNB scholars vary according to the program:

Bachelor’s

All applicants must have a high school diploma and academic transcripts (translated to English as necessary). He/she must also meet the English proficiency requirement scores, which should be 80 for the TOEFL iBT, 6.0 for the IELTS, or 700 for the TOEIC. Any of these should have been taken within the last 2 years of application.

Aspiring scholars for Indonesian Government scholarships must also meet the age limit of 25 years old.

Master’s

The minimum requirement for Master’s students is a bachelor’s degree with related academic transcripts. Those who already hold a Master’s degree, however, are no longer qualified for the KNB scholarship.

The same English proficiency requirement scores apply to Master’s students. However, the age limit is extended to up to 35 years old.

Doctorate

A Master’s degree is the minimum requirement for Ph.D. applicants. Higher English proficiency results are expected – either a 90 on the TOEFL iBT or a band 7.0 for the IELTS.

Apart from meeting the age limit of 40, potential Ph.D. students need to have a letter of recommendation from a university that participates in the KNB scholarship program.

How to Apply to Indonesian Government Scholarships

All aspiring KNB scholars – regardless of level (undergraduate or graduate) – need to follow this application process.

  1. Download the invitation letter from the KNB scholarship page.
  2. Submit the following requirements to Indonesian Embassy or Consulate in your home country:
  • Copy of passport page
  • Diploma (translated to English as needed)
  • Academic transcripts (translated to English as needed)
  • Academic recommendations from previous schools
  • English proficiency results
  • Applicants from English-speaking countries are not automatically exempted from this requirement. These students must include definitive proof of their proficiency upon application.
  • Recommendation letter from employee or supervisor, if applicable

A Ph.D. applicant also needs to submit a recommendation letter from potential research supervisors and a statement of purpose that explores the student’s research topic.

  1. Complete the online application procedures. To do so, the student must sign up for an account at the Indonesian Government scholarship website.

The scholarship committee will publish three calls for applications before the portal closes.

After receiving all the applications, the selection committee will then convene and choose the winning students. The results will be published on both the official Indonesian Government scholarship website and the Indonesian Embassy network.

All KNB scholars will be required to attend the 1-year Indonesian Language Training program, which is provided by their corresponding universities. Although programs are often taught in English, this program will help the scholar immerse him/herself in the culture of the country.

Students must also need to finish a preparatory program before they can proceed with their academic studies.

KNB scholars are advised to study their program choices accordingly. Once enrolled, applicants will no longer be able to change the program or university.

Conclusion

The Indonesian Government scholarship is a good option for international students who wish to study in any of Indonesia’s 23 institutions. The selection includes some of the country’s top-ranking universities, including the University of Indonesia, the Bandung Institute of Technology, and the University of Bwarijaya, to name a few.

More importantly, the Indonesian Government scholarship covers all study levels (a total of 1,206 undergraduate & graduate programs) – with full tuition included. The eligibility or application requirements are not as stringent as other national scholarship programs as well. And even with the low allowance fees, Indonesian Government scholarship recipients can live comfortably in the country given Indonesia’s low cost of living.

 

We hope that this article on Indonesian Government scholarships for international students was helpful. To know more information on studying abroad, check out the Available Courses for International Students

About the Author: Hyun Lee

Hyun is the founder at Global Scholarships. He has received a full-tuition scholarship at Birmingham-Southern College as well as $1,000 Burger King Scholarship for his undergraduate degree and has been offered a fully funded scholarship consisting of tuition, living stipend, and health insurance for computer science Ph.D. program at North Carolina State University. Read more about his scholarship journey here.

Share this article via

Leave A Comment