Study Abroad Scholarships for Indonesian Students: Programs Worth Applying To

LPDP: the base layer for most destinations

LPDP, run by Indonesia's Ministry of Finance, funds master's and doctoral study at universities in Indonesia and abroad, so it is worth applying to before or alongside any destination-specific scholarship below. It requires an English test score, typically IELTS 6.5 for master's and IELTS 7.0 for doctoral applicants , and covers tuition, a living allowance, health insurance and travel. Registration runs in yearly batches, with Batch 1 for the 2026 cycle opening in the second half of January and closing around the end of February. Check the official LPDP site for the current batch dates before you plan your application around a specific window.

Australia Awards: master's and PhD in Australia

Australia Awards Scholarships fund Indonesian nationals for master's and PhD study at Australian universities, with special encouragement for women from disadvantaged backgrounds, applicants with disability, and students from target provinces including Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, Papua, Southwest Papua, Maluku and Lampung. According to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta , the round for study commencing in 2026 opened 1 February 2025 and closed 30 April 2025, with information sessions held in the months before the deadline. Coverage includes pre-departure academic and English preparation, professional development during your studies, and access to an alumni network after you graduate. Apply through the Australia Awards Indonesia portal, and watch for the next round's opening date to follow a similar early-year pattern.

MEXT: study in Japan on a Japanese government scholarship

The Monbukagakusho (MEXT) scholarship funds Japanese government-sponsored study at Japanese universities across several tracks, including graduate Research Students and the undergraduate-level Japanese Studies program. You apply through the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta or through one of Indonesia's four Japanese Consulates-General, based on the region your KTP address falls under, not directly to MEXT in Japan. According to the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia , the Research Students track for the 2027 intake required documents to arrive at the embassy by 22 April 2026, and the Japanese Studies non-degree track covers full tuition plus a living allowance of around ¥117,000 a month for a one year program. Deadlines and covered programs shift by intake year, so check the embassy's current announcement before you start preparing documents.

GKS: South Korea's Global Korea Scholarship

The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), backed by South Korea's Ministry of Education and managed by the National Institute for International Education, funds undergraduate and graduate study in Korea. You can apply through the Embassy Track, run through the Korean Embassy in Jakarta, or the University Track, applying directly to a participating Korean university. Coverage typically includes tuition, a monthly stipend, airfare and a period of Korean language training before your degree starts, though the exact stipend amount is set and published fresh each cycle, so confirm it on the current year's official GKS announcement rather than an old figure. The Korean Embassy in Indonesia posts each year's Embassy Track opening directly on its own site.

Chevening: a fully funded UK master's

Chevening, the UK government's global scholarship program, funds a one year master's degree at any UK university for future leaders with at least two years of work experience. It covers tuition, a monthly living allowance, return flights and additional grants for travel and settling in. Chevening for Indonesian applicants typically opens applications in early August; the closing date has moved earlier in recent years and is not reliably in November (the 2027-2028 round closes 6 October 2026), so confirm the exact date on the Chevening Indonesia page before you start your application.

DAAD: Germany's academic exchange service

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) funds master's, PhD and short research stays in Germany across a wide range of named programs, each with its own eligibility rules and deadline. DAAD has run a regional office in Jakarta since 1990, offering individual counselling on which of its programs fits your field and study level, along with pre-departure preparation for scholarship holders. Search the DAAD Indonesia scholarship database directly, since the right program and its funding amount depend heavily on your subject area and academic level.

Other routes worth checking

• 🎓 Fulbright, administered in Indonesia through AMINEF, funds graduate study and research in the United States.

• 💵 Many universities abroad run their own international student scholarships that stack with a government award or stand alone, so check the funding page of every university you apply to, not just the national programs above.

• 📩 Professional and corporate scholarships tied to a field, such as energy, maritime studies or public health, sometimes fund overseas study for Indonesian applicants already working in that sector.

Keep a simple tracker for every program you go after: opening date, closing date, required documents, and whether it needs a test score you have not booked yet. Government scholarships in particular tend to move their windows earlier or later by a few weeks each year, and missing a deadline by even a day usually means waiting a full year for the next round. Set your own internal deadline at least two weeks before the real one, so a slow reference letter or a delayed transcript does not cost you the whole cycle.

Apply to more than one program where your profile qualifies, since each scholarship has its own selection odds and a rejection from one does not affect another. Start gathering test scores, recommendation letters and a clear study plan at least a year before your target intake, since the strongest applications take time to prepare properly.