Study Abroad Scholarships for Indonesian Students
A comprehensive overview of scholarships available to Indonesian students across every major study destination, starting with LPDP, Indonesia's own scholarship body, through to country-specific programmes in Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, and Canada.
Find the right scholarship for your study abroad goals
What you'll learn in this article
Studying abroad has become a genuinely achievable goal for Indonesian students, not just an aspiration reserved for the wealthy or exceptionally lucky. Since 2012, LPDP alone has funded more than 24,000 Indonesian students through postgraduate study, and that's before counting the dozens of government, university, and private foundation scholarships available across every major destination: Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, and Canada. With tuition and living costs climbing steadily in nearly every country, understanding which of these programmes you genuinely qualify for, and which ones simply mention Indonesia in passing without being built for Indonesians specifically, makes the difference between years of searching and a genuinely well-targeted application.
This guide starts with LPDP (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan, Indonesia's Education Fund Management Institution), since it's the foundation many other scholarships are partnered with or modelled after, before breaking down what's genuinely available by destination. KNB is a separate Indonesian government scholarship for foreign students to study in Indonesia, not for Indonesians studying abroad, an easy mix-up given how similar the names sound.
Find the right scholarship for your study abroad goals
LPDP - Indonesia's Own Scholarship Body
Before you look at any single country's scholarships, get a handle on LPDP first; it changes how you read everything that follows. Quite a few destination scholarships are actually LPDP partnerships underneath, so knowing these upfront saves you from treating them as unrelated options later on.
What is LPDP?
LPDP (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan, the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) is managed by Indonesia's own Ministry of Finance, funded through a constitutional mandate requiring at least 20% of the state budget to go toward education. It provides Master's and doctoral funding for Indonesian citizens, at institutions both in Indonesia and abroad, and since opening its postgraduate programmes in 2012, more than 24,000 Indonesians have studied on LPDP funding. LPDP also maintains partnerships with specific universities abroad, including the University of Manchester, Trinity College Dublin, and RMIT University, among others, worth checking if your target university is an LPDP partner institution.
LPDP's Scholarship Categories
LPDP isn't one scholarship; it's a family of programmes:
- General Scholarships: open to all eligible Indonesians, including Regular (full funding, 2 to 4 years) and Partial funding tracks
- Targeted Scholarships: for specific groups, civil servants, military and police personnel, entrepreneurs, future religious leaders, and doctors
- Affirmative Scholarships: for people with disabilities, students from underdeveloped or frontier regions (3T areas), Papuan students, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds
- Collaborative Scholarships: run jointly with the Ministry of Education and Culture, aimed at teachers, lecturers, and education staff
Genuine Shift for 2026LPDP's 2026 cycle marked a real change in direction, moving from a broadly education-centric model toward one explicitly tied to Indonesia's national development priorities, with new STEM-focused tracks aligned to strategic industries, and a parallel SHARE programme supporting non-STEM disciplines considered similarly critical. If you're preparing an LPDP application, connecting your intended field to these national priorities matters more now than in previous cycles. |
General Eligibility
- Indonesian citizenship (WNI)
- A completed bachelor's degree (S1/D4) for Master's applicants, or a Master's degree for doctoral applicants
- Minimum GPA around 3.0 for Master's, 3.25 for doctoral programmes (exact thresholds vary by track, confirm current requirements)
- English proficiency (commonly TOEFL 550+ or an equivalent IELTS score, depending on destination) for overseas study
- A commitment to return to Indonesia after your studies, and to contribute to the country's development
Timing
LPDP registration windows have historically opened around January and closed in February for a given cycle, though exact dates and the number of registration batches per year change; confirm the current cycle's dates directly on LPDP's official portal before planning around any specific date found elsewhere.
Why this matters before you look at any single country: several country-specific programmes we have covered are actually LPDP partnerships; LPDP-Australia Awards, for instance, is a joint scheme between LPDP and the Australian government. Understanding LPDP first helps you see which destination scholarships are genuinely separate opportunities, and which are different doors into the same underlying Indonesian government support.
Scholarships by Destination
Each country has its own mix of government, university, and Indonesia-specific scholarships worth knowing before you narrow down where to apply. Here's a quick look at what stands out in each.
Malaysia
Malaysia's scholarship landscape includes the Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS), the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP), and genuinely Indonesia-specific university awards like the CIMB Niaga Scholarship.
Australia
Australia offers one of the largest scholarship allocations globally for Indonesian students specifically, anchored by Australia Awards, the newly introduced Australia Awards Garuda stream, and LPDP-Australia Awards, a direct LPDP partnership.
New Zealand
New Zealand's Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships include a bilateral partnership directly with Indonesia's Ministry of Higher Education, plus a genuinely useful structural fact: international PhD students pay domestic tuition rates regardless of scholarship status.
United Kingdom
The UK's flagship Chevening Scholarship and the Indonesia-specific GREAT Scholarship are the two strongest genuinely eligible options, alongside university-specific funding at undergraduate through PhD level. Read: Know more about UK Scholarships
Scholarships in the United States for Indonesian Students
The US scholarship landscape works differently from the government-scholarship model common in Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK; funding here is more fragmented across federal programmes, private foundations, and university-specific aid.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program
The best-known US government scholarship for international graduate study, covering tuition and living costs for eligible fields. In Indonesia, it's administered by the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF), which awards more than 120 scholarships to Americans and Indonesians combined every year. Confirm current eligibility and deadlines through AMINEF specifically.
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program
Aimed at mid-career professionals rather than traditional students, this is a non-degree fellowship for professional development in the US, worth knowing about if you're further along in your career, not a fit for students straight out of undergraduate study.
Rotary Peace Fellowship
Covers a Master's degree or professional development certificate in peace and conflict resolution, fully funded, through Rotary International's global network.
AAUW International Fellowships
Specifically for women pursuing full-time graduate or postgraduate study, with award amounts historically ranging from $20,000 to $50,000; confirm the current award range and deadline directly with AAUW, as these are reviewed annually.
Global UGRAD Program
A US State Department-funded exchange programme for undergraduate students from selected countries, offering full or partial funding for a semester or year of non-degree study combined with community service and professional development. This is confirmed to be genuinely open to Indonesian citizens specifically, but it is an exchange programme rather than a full degree scholarship; worth understanding that distinction before applying.
Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program
For students from developing countries pursuing a Master's degree, with a specific focus on development-related fields, covering full tuition and living expenses.
Scholarships in Canada for Indonesian Students
Canada's scholarship landscape splits between prestigious national awards and province- or university-specific funding.
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
A prestigious doctoral scholarship for students demonstrating strong leadership and academic achievement, open to international students including Indonesians, at participating Canadian institutions, with an annual deadline typically in November.
Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED)
Built specifically for students from ASEAN member states, including Indonesia, supporting short-term academic or professional study in Canada at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
A merit-based scholarship for graduate students, including international students, at participating Ontario universities; deadlines vary by institution.
Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program
For exceptional international students entering undergraduate study at the University of Toronto specifically, requiring nomination by your high school and demonstrated leadership and community involvement, with an annual deadline typically in January.
Global Affairs Canada Scholarships
An umbrella of various government-funded scholarships, grants, and awards, with eligibility and deadlines varying significantly by specific programme, this is worth exploring directly rather than assuming one universal set of terms.
Scholarships by Study Level
Funding availability changes a lot depending on which level of study you're pursuing; some programmes only exist at postgraduate level, others are exclusively for undergraduates. Here's how that breaks down.
Postgraduate Scholarships (Master's and PhD)
Most of what's covered so far - LPDP, Australia Awards, Chevening, Manaaki, MIS, Fulbright, Vanier, and the Tanoto Foundation - funds both Master's and PhD study. LPDP specifically covers Master's (up to 2 years) and doctoral (up to 4 years) programmes, and most flagship government scholarships follow a similar pattern. If you're pursuing either level, start with LPDP first, then work through the destination-specific and country sections above for the programme that fits your target country and field.
Undergraduate Scholarships
Undergraduate funding works completely differently. LPDP doesn't fund undergraduate study at all, and neither do flagship programmes like Chevening or Australia Awards. Instead, undergraduate funding for Indonesian students runs almost entirely through individual universities: Monash and Curtin's Indonesia-named scholarships in Malaysia, merit scholarships at the University of Melbourne and University of Sydney in Australia, AUT and Lincoln University awards in New Zealand, and UK institutions like the University of Manchester and University of Bristol. If undergraduate funding is what you're after, go straight to your target country's scholarships or get in touch with our counsellors. There's no single centralised undergraduate scholarship the way LPDP centralises postgraduate funding.
Private and Foundation Scholarships
Beyond government and university funding, several private Indonesian and international organisations offer scholarships worth knowing about.
- Tanoto Foundation Scholarship: supports Indonesian students pursuing postgraduate degrees at top global universities; a genuinely well-established Indonesian private foundation, worth researching directly through the Tanoto Foundation's official channels for current eligibility and open programmes.
- Astra International and Chevron Scholarship Programmes: Indonesian corporate-backed scholarships that have historically supported Indonesian students; confirm current availability and terms directly, as corporate scholarship programmes can change or pause between cycles more often than government schemes.
If your target destination is the Netherlands or Germany specifically, note that both have genuine, well-established Indonesia-facing scholarships too: the Netherlands' StuNed programme (built specifically for Indonesians) and the Orange Tulip Scholarship, and Germany's DAAD, which supports Indonesian students across bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels. These are covered in more depth in our Europe scholarships guide.
| Not every study-abroad funding option is a government or university scholarship. Organisations like EF Education First offer commercial study-abroad and exchange programmes; these are legitimate options for language study or short-term exchange, but they operate differently from the scholarships covered on this page. They're paid programmes with occasional promotional discounts, not merit-based or need-based scholarships in the traditional sense. If cost is your primary driver, the government and university scholarships above will generally offer more substantial funding than a private provider's discount. |
How to Apply for Study Abroad Scholarships?
While each country and scholarship has its own specific process, a few steps apply almost universally, worth understanding before you dive into any single application.
- Start with LPDP if you're pursuing a Master's or PhD. Since LPDP can fund study in most destination countries, and several country-specific scholarships are LPDP partnerships, understanding your LPDP eligibility first helps you see the full picture rather than researching each country in isolation.
- Research destination-specific scholarships in parallel, not sequentially. Government scholarships (Australia Awards, Chevening, Manaaki, MIS) and university-specific awards often run on independent timelines; applying to multiple simultaneously is standard practice, not something to feel guilty about.
- Check eligibility precisely, not generally. Many scholarships have hard eligibility lines (minimum work experience, specific nationality lists, degree-level restrictions) that no amount of a strong application can overcome; confirm these before investing preparation time.
- Prepare core documents early: academic transcripts, English proficiency test scores (IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE), a personal statement, and recommendation letters are required across nearly every scholarship; having these ready in advance means you can move quickly when a window opens.
- Tailor your personal statement to each specific scholarship. A generic statement recycled across applications is a common, avoidable reason strong candidates get rejected; connect your goals explicitly to what each specific programme is actually trying to achieve.
- Track deadlines actively, not passively. Many flagship scholarships (Chevening, Australia Awards, Manaaki) run narrow, once-a-year windows; missing one often means waiting a full year for the next opportunity.
Where to Actually Find Scholarship Information?
Given how much outdated scholarship information circulates online, it's worth knowing which sources are genuinely reliable.
- Official government portals are the most reliable source for status and deadlines: LPDP, Chevening, Australia Awards, and Manaaki New Zealand all publish current-cycle information directly.
- University-specific scholarship pages are more reliable than third-party scholarship aggregator sites for institution-specific awards, since aggregators frequently carry outdated deadlines from previous cycles.
- AECC's counsellors track deadlines and eligibility changes across all of these sources directly and can help you build a shortlist matched to your specific profile, at no cost.
With this many programmes, deadlines, and eligibility rules to track across LPDP and half a dozen destination countries, the hardest part usually isn't finding a scholarship; it's figuring out which ones you're genuinely eligible for and building an application strong enough to compete. That's exactly where AECC comes in: no cost, no obligation, just a clearer path from "where do I even start" to an application actually worth submitting.
Study Abroad Scholarships for Indonesian Students FAQs
Here are the questions Indonesian students ask us most often about study abroad scholarships.
Starting with LPDP, Indonesia's own scholarship body, Indonesian students have access to a genuinely wide range of options: Australia Awards and LPDP-Australia Awards, Chevening and GREAT Scholarships in the UK, Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, MIS and MTCP in Malaysia, plus US and Canadian programmes like Fulbright and the Vanier Scholarships, and private options like the Tanoto Foundation.
No, and this is a genuine, common confusion worth clearing up directly. KNB (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang, Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship) is run by the Indonesian government, but it funds students from other developing countries to study at Indonesian universities, the reverse of what most people searching this term actually want. This same confusion extends to "Indonesia Scholarship for international students," which almost always refers to Indonesia-funded programmes for foreigners (KNB, or the related Darmasiswa cultural/language scholarship), not funding for Indonesians to study abroad. If you're an Indonesian student looking to fund your own study abroad journey, LPDP is the programme you actually want.
There's no single "best" country; it depends on your field, career stage, and how competitive you are for each programme. Australia and the UK offer some of the largest allocations specifically for Indonesian applicants, New Zealand offers a genuinely strong PhD-level cost advantage, and the US offers Fulbright and several private foundation options, each with different eligibility profiles.
Yes, several programmes genuinely cover full tuition and living costs: LPDP, Australia Awards, Chevening, and Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships all offer full funding for eligible Indonesian applicants. These are highly competitive, though a 100% scholarship isn't rare because it doesn't exist. It is rare because of the volume of strong applicants competing for a limited number of places.
"Free" scholarships aren't a separate category; they're the fully funded programmes already covered here (LPDP, Australia Awards, Chevening, Manaaki), which cover tuition and living costs without requiring you to pay from your own funds. What makes them accessible isn't finding a hidden "free" option; it's meeting the specific eligibility criteria and building a genuinely strong, well-prepared application.
Start with official government portals (LPDP, Chevening, Australia Awards, Manaaki New Zealand) rather than third-party aggregator sites, which frequently carry outdated deadlines. AECC's counsellors also track current cycles across all major destinations.
Not as a widely established category, most structured scholarship programmes (LPDP, Australia Awards, Chevening, Manaaki) apply at undergraduate level and above. If you're exploring options at high school level specifically, this is worth a direct conversation with AECC, since opportunities here tend to be less standardised and more institution- or exchange-programme-specific.
There's no genuinely "easy" scholarship among the major government and university programmes; all are competitive and merit-based. That said, university-specific scholarships that are automatically assessed during admission (rather than requiring a separate competitive application) tend to involve a more straightforward path than flagship government scholarships like Chevening or Australia Awards.
Trusted Expertise
About the Author
Published and reviewed by AECC counsellors who guide students through every step of their study-abroad journey.
Published by Bindu Mary Idicula
Test Prep, Courses and Application Expert | 20 Years Advising Students from India
Bindu Mary Idicula has spent over 20 years in international education, writing on three areas that students from India navigate across every study abroad destination: standardised tests, course selection and application documents. She covers TOEFL, SAT, ACT, OET, GRE and GMAT, writes on standalone course guides across disciplines, and covers the application documents students need including Letters of Recommendation, Statements of Purpose, academic essays and CVs.
Her articles are written around the questions Indian students consistently ask during consultations. Which test gives a student from India the best chance at a particular university. How preparation timelines work for students coming from Indian schooling systems. What a particular course looks like for Indian applicants across different countries. What makes an SOP stand out for an Indian student applying to an international institution. These are the specifics that generic guides do not address.
Her articles across the AECC platform have been read over 650,000 times. The breadth of topics she covers reflects the range of questions Indian students bring to consultations, from which exam to take first to how to write a CV that works for an international university application. She holds an MBA in Marketing and is based at AECC's Tamil Nadu offices.
