If you’re looking for a fully funded opportunity to study in Indonesia, the Indonesian Government Scholarship 2026 – KNB Scholarship could be your gateway to an international academic experience in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic countries.
The Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship is a prestigious program funded by the Government of Indonesia and managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. It is designed to support students from developing countries who wish to pursue bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees at leading Indonesian universities.
The Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship is a financial aid program provided by the Government of Indonesia for prospective international students from developing countries who wish to pursue higher education in Indonesia. The scholarship supports degree programs at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels across selected Indonesian universities.
The KNB Scholarship was first initiated following the 10th Conference of Heads of State of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), held from 1–6 September 1992. Initially, the program was exclusively offered to students from NAM member countries, with the first recipients enrolled in the following year. However, due to increasing global interest, the program’s regional limitation was lifted in 2002. At that point, the scholarship was officially renamed the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship, and eligibility was expanded beyond NAM countries.
Since then, the KNB Scholarship has been made available to students from a wide range of developing regions, including Asia, the Pacific, South America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. The program aims to strengthen people-to-people connections between Indonesia and participating countries while contributing to the development of future global leaders through education.
Through the KNB Scholarship, recipients gain the opportunity to study at leading Indonesian universities while experiencing life in one of the world’s most culturally diverse and dynamic societies. The program offers access to high-quality academic environments, particularly in postgraduate education, supported by a network of 47 partner universities across Indonesia.
Graduates of the KNB Scholarship are expected to enhance their intellectual capacity, strengthen professional competencies, and expand their career opportunities. In addition to academic advancement, students benefit from firsthand exposure to Indonesia’s multicultural and multilingual society, enriching their global perspective and cross-cultural understanding.
Since 2006, the KNB Scholarship has supported 2,299 students and alumni from 107 countries, demonstrating its growing international reach and impact. In 2026, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, in collaboration with 47 host universities, will continue to implement the KNB Scholarship selection process. The program remains committed to supporting degree education at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
Degree Levels Offered
The Indonesian Government Scholarship 2026 – KNB Scholarship typically covers:
- 🎓 Bachelor’s Degree (Sarjana/S1)
- 🎓 Master’s Degree (Magister/S2)
- 🎓 Doctoral Degree (Doktor/S3)
What Does the KNB Scholarship Cover?
One of the most attractive features of the KNB Scholarship is that it is fully funded. The benefits usually include:
- ✔️ Full tuition fee waiver
- ✔️ Monthly living allowance
- ✔️ Settlement allowance upon arrival
- ✔️ Health insurance
- ✔️ Round-trip international airfare
- ✔️ Indonesian language training (BIPA program)
This comprehensive support allows students to focus entirely on their academic journey.
Eligibility Criteria (General Requirements)
While the official 2026 guidelines will be released closer to the application period, general requirements usually include:
- Citizen of a developing country
- Maximum age limit (varies by degree level)
- Strong academic background
- English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS or equivalent)
- Recommendation letters
- Completed online application
Always check the official call for applications for the most accurate requirements.
Bachelor Degree
- The maximum age to apply for the scholarship is 21 years old, no more than December 31st, 2026.
- Hold a High School degree. Please be advised that a bachelor’s degree holder is not eligible to apply for the bachelor’s degree scholarship.
- Provide a curriculum vitae in English or Bahasa.
- Have the English Proficiency Test Score minimum as follows: TOEFL ITP of 477, TOEFL IBT of 53, IELTS of 5,5, TOEIC of 510 or equivalent (the certificate must be obtained within the last 2 Years). Participants of foreign nationality who come from English-speaking countries, or participants from a university who are enrolled in programs in English (stated in the participant’s diploma/transcript), are not required to submit the English Proficiency document by attaching official proof from their home university.
- Provide the recommendation letter to apply for the KNB scholarship from the Indonesian Embassy or the Indonesian Consulate General in English or Bahasa. The recommendation letter must be from the applicant’s country of origin, not the country of domicile.
- Provide a recommendation letter to apply for the KNB scholarship from the employer/immediate supervisor in English or Bahasa. If currently unemployed, can provide a statement letter.
- Provide an Academic Recommendation Letter from previous schools in English or Bahasa.
- Provide The Scanned Academic Certificate and Academic Transcripts Copy of High School Degree in English or Bahasa, that has been legalized by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the applicant’s country.
- Proof of citizenship by submit Official Passport, which is still valid for at least December 31st, 2027. An official passport is a non-Diplomatic Passport or Work Passport.
- Provide a video with a duration maximum 5 minutes in English or Bahasa and submit the video to your youtube and the link of the video must be upload in your KNB Scholarship account. The video explains about;
– Profile the applicant;
– Why you choose studies in Indonesia and by KNB Scholarship; and
– Why you choose studies in campus and study program that you choose. - Provide a certified medical report including: physical examination, Infectious disease test (Tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Mpox), mental health test, and a negative drug test (screening for amphetamine, methamphetamine, marijuana, morphine, and benzodiazepines). All documents must be in English or Bahasa and issued within last 3 (three) months;
- Willing not to marry/or be married to, engage/be engaged to a de facto person who holds or is eligible to hold Indonesian citizenship or permanent residency or with other scholarship recipients;
- Willing to not be pregnant during scholarship period;
- Not currently or will be undergoing military service until the end of the scholarship period;
- Complete the online application form in http://knb.kemdiktisaintek.go.id
Master Degree
- The maximum age to apply for the scholarship is 35 years old, no more than December 31st, 2026.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree. Please be advised that a master’s degree holder is not eligible to apply for the Master’s Degree scholarship.
- Provide a curriculum vitae in English or Bahasa;
- Have the English Proficiency Test Score minimum as follows: TOEFL ITP of 500, TOEFL IBT of 61, IELTS of 6,0, TOEIC of 575 or equivalent (the certificate must be obtained within the last 2 Years). Participants of foreign nationality who come from English-speaking countries, or participants from a university who are enrolled in programs in English (stated in the participant’s diploma/transcript), are not required to submit the English Proficiency document by attaching official proof from their home university.
- Provide the recommendation letter to apply for the KNB scholarship from the Indonesian Embassy or the Indonesian Consulate General in English or Bahasa. The recommendation letter must be from applicant country of origin, not country of domicile;
- Provide recommendation letter to apply for the KNB scholarship from The employer/immediate supervisor in English or Bahasa. if currently unemployed, can provide a statement letter.
- Provide Academic Recommendation Letter from previous schools in English or Bahasa.
- Provide The Scanned Academic Certificate and Academic Transcripts Copy of Bachelor Degree in English or Bahasa, that has been legalized by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the applicant’s country.
- Prove of citizenship by submit Official Passport, which is still valid for at least December 31st, 2027. Official Passport is non-Diplomatic Passport or Work Passport.
- Provide video with duration maximum 5 minutes in English or Bahasa and submit the video in your youtube and the link of the video must be upload in your KNB Scholarship account. The video explains about;
– Profile the applicant;
– Why you choose studies in Indonesia and by KNB Scholarship; and
– Why you choose studies in campus and study program that you choose. - Provide a certified medical report including: physical examination, Infectious disease test (Tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Mpox), mental health test, and a negative drug test (screening for amphetamine, methamphetamine, marijuana, morphine, and benzodiazepines). All documents must be in English or Bahasa and issued within last 3 (three) months;
- Willing not to marry/or be married to, engage/be engaged to a de facto person who holds or is eligible to hold Indonesian citizenship or permanent residency or with other scholarship recipients;
- Willing to not be pregnant during scholarship period;
- Not currently or will be undergoing military service until the end of the scholarship period;
- Complete the online application form in http://knb.kemdiktisaintek.go.id
Doctoral Degree
- The maximum age to apply for the scholarship is 40 years old, no more than December 31st, 2026.
- Hold a master’s degree. Please be advised that a Doctorate degree holder is not eligible to apply.
- Obtain a recommendation letter in English or Bahasa from the potential research supervisor in one of the universities providing partner of the KNB Scholarship. The recommendation must be from the same university that you chose.
- Provide a statement of purpose that at least states the purpose of their studies, the origin of their interests in studying in Indonesia, and pursuing their chosen research topic, and their plans for the academic future (dissertation proposal) in English or Bahasa.
- Provide a curriculum vitae in English or Bahasa;
- Have the English Proficiency Test Score minimum as follows: TOEFL ITP of 530, TOEFL IBT of 71, IELTS of 6,0, TOEIC of 640 or equivalent (the certifiicate must be obtained within the last 2 Years). Participants of foreign nationality who come from English-speaking countries, or participants from university who are enrolled in programs in English (stated in participant diploma/transcript), do not required to submit the English Proficiency document, by attaching official proof from their home university.
- Provide the recommendation letter to apply for the KNB scholarship from the Indonesian Embassy or the Indonesian Consulate General in English or Bahasa. The recommendation letter must be from applicant country of origin, not country of domicile;
- Provide recommendation letter to apply for the KNB scholarship from The employer/immediate supervisor in English or Bahasa. if currently unemployed, can provide a statement letter.
- Provide Academic Recommendation Letter from previous schools in English or Bahasa.
- Provide The Scanned Academic Certificate and Academic Transcript Copy of Master Degree in English or Bahasa, that has been legalized by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the applicant’s country.
- Prove of citizenship by submit Official Passport, which is still valid for at least December 31st, 2027. Official Passport is non-Diplomatic Passport or Work Passport.
- Provide video with duration maximum 5 minutes in English or Bahasa and submit the video in your youtube and the link of the video must be upload in your KNB Scholarship account. The video explains about;
– Profile the applicant;
– Why you choose studies in Indonesia and by KNB Scholarship; and
– Why you choose studies in campus and study program that you choose. - Provide a certified medical report including: physical examination, Infectious disease test (Tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Mpox), mental health test, and a negative drug test (screening for amphetamine, methamphetamine, marijuana, morphine, and benzodiazepines). All documents must be in English or Bahasa and must be issued within last 3 (three) months;
- Willing not to marry/or be married to, engage/be engaged to a de facto person who holds or is eligible to hold Indonesian citizenship or permanent residency or with other scholarship recipients;
- Willing to not be pregnant during scholarship period;
- Not currently or will be undergoing military service until the end of the scholarship period;
- Complete the online application form in http://knb.kemdiktisaintek.go.id
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