How Md. Asraful Islam, a Bangladeshi Scholar, Secured a Fully Funded Bachelor’s Through the KNB Scholarship

Hello, my name is Md. Asraful Islam. I come from a middle-class family in Bangladesh. I am the only child of my parents. I am currently studying Informatics Engineering at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro in Indonesia through the KNB scholarship. I have always had a passion for science and technology. But to specifically go into the IT sector was a decision that I made during my college days, because during our ICT lab in college, I discovered my love for coding, and from then on, I decided to pursue my career in Software Engineering.

The journey that I had to face to reach this place wasn’t easy for me at all.

I completed college in 2024. After that, I started preparing for admission exams in Bangladesh, but unfortunately, I wasn’t selected for the universities where I wanted to study. So I made up my mind to study abroad. I started preparing for the IELTS and my documents.

Everyone knows that studying abroad can be very expensive. With my good IELTS score and academic background, I thought I would be able to get enough scholarship so that I could pay the rest by working. So, I applied to the universities in Australia and New Zealand, and I also received offer letters from all of them. However, the tuition fee was too high for me, even after a waiver, and my father could not afford it. So, the only way for me to study was through a scholarship. That’s why I started applying for scholarships. Finally, after passing all the tests and interviews, I received the scholarship.

KNB Scholarship Details

Among the two scholarships I received, I chose the KNB Scholarship as it provided the best opportunities for me to grow. I was selected at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS) under the KNB program. Although the exact amount of money that one student gets for a bachelor’s degree is not known, the estimated amount is around USD 35,000 – 40,000 for the full BIPA (1-year language course) and bachelor's course (4 years), which is more than enough for all the expenses in Indonesia. From food to insurance, everything is covered by this grant.

Were You Offered Any Other Scholarships?

The 2^nd scholarship I got was the Kazakhstan Gov. Scholarship. I was selected at Astana IT University for Software Engineering. This scholarship only covers the tuition fee and gives a stipend of $100 per month, which depends on your results each semester.

Educational Background

So, for Bangladeshis, we have to show the results of two exams to apply for any bachelor’s scholarship. Those are SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and HSC (Higher Secondary School Certificate). I had a perfect GPA of 5.00 out of 5.00 in both exams. Not only that, I even got a scholarship for my HSC result from the government in my country. I completed my high school (SSC) and college (HSC) in a science background, which is necessary if you want to apply in any science or engineering field. I also did some online courses for programming, like the CS50 course, which I believe helped me quite a lot to get the attention of the interviewer.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS)?

How Did You Find Information About KNB Scholarship and Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS)?

I found out about this scholarship online. Then I researched this scholarship a little bit using YouTube and Google. Later, I found more information about this scholarship from the KNB website. There was a list of universities you could choose for the KNB scholarship. From there, according to my qualifications and probability of acceptance, I chose two universities for application.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

Yes, I did take an English language test, which was the IELTS. To prepare for this test, I got admitted to a coaching center. There I studied for 3 months. During that time, I used to practice mock tests on different websites. One month after the completion of the course, I took the test. I took the computer-based IELTS, so I got my result the day after my exam, and Alhamdulillah, I got 7.5, which was more than my expectation.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the KNB Scholarship?

I had prepared my documents before applying for scholarships. But I needed an extra medical certificate for this scholarship, which I collected a few days before the deadline for the application. After gathering all the documentation, I applied for a recommendation letter from the Indonesian Embassy in Bangladesh, as it is necessary to get the LoR. Without that, you can’t apply for the scholarship, and the embassy only hands out a limited number of recommendation letters based on your academic profile. I was lucky enough to get that. After getting the LoR, I applied for the scholarship through the KNB website. It takes some time to verify and assess all the documents. If you fulfill all the requirements, the universities invite you to an online test, which generally consists of math, physics, English, and logical reasoning. It may vary from university to university. If you pass this test, they invite you for an interview. After passing that, you have to take a psychological test. If you pass every test, the university will issue a recommendation letter for you to the KNB committee. The KNB committee decides who will get the scholarship or not.

How is Your Experience at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS)?

I am still studying here. Until now, it’s been a good experience. The teachers, staff, and students are very friendly. If I need any help, they always try to help me.

How Do You Rate Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS) Academically?

Academically, it’s one of the best universities for IT in Semarang city. Its facilities are also good. So, to me, it’s one of the best universities.

How Does Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS) Support International Students?

For international students, it has its own international office, which helps international students in every way possible, like applying for a visa, buying plane tickets, picking them up from the airport, etc. Also, for new students it assigns some local students who will help you to settle in comfortably. So, overall, they have good support for international students.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or Indonesian?

As I am a KNB awardee, my classes are in Indonesian. Every KNB awardee has to take their classes in Indonesian. For that reason, they also offer a 1-year language course, which is included in the scholarship. But those who come here on a university scholarship have an English-taught program.

Would Potential Students Have Any Problems Not Knowing Indonesian?

They might face some problems. Although most of the slides and materials are in English, some of them may be in Indonesian. So, they might use a translator for those. Also, to communicate properly with the students and the locals, learning the language is a must.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I believe the video that I made about me stood out in the application. Also, my other certificates in coding might have caught their attention.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

When I applied, I didn’t have that much time on my hands. So, if I had to do it again, I would start early and gather all my documents in time so that I would have enough time.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

My advice is to first gather all the documents you might need to apply for scholarships. Then, look for every scholarship you can find in your program and apply to all of them, because most of the fully funded scholarships are very competitive. But, of course, if you have any particular scholarship in your mind that you want to get, you have to prepare for that scholarship long time ahead, like 6 or more months ahead, so that you can fulfill all their requirements and make a good motivational letter.