YOGYAKARTA - Indonesia is encouraging universities to enhance the attractiveness of the country's higher education sector in a bid to attract more international students through the Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship (KNB).

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology said the scholarship programme could serve as a gateway for foreign students to experience Indonesian higher education while supporting the internationalisation of local universities.

Director of Institutional Affairs at the ministry, Mukhamad Najib, said higher education could play a strategic role in attracting international talent and strengthening Indonesia's global academic profile.

He pointed to countries such as Australia and Malaysia, which have successfully attracted large numbers of international students despite government-funded scholarships not being the primary source of enrolment.

“Countries such as Australia and Malaysia have been able to attract large numbers of international students independently. Someday, we want the same thing to happen in Indonesia,” Najib said during a meeting for the 2026 KNB Scholarship selection process on June 11.

Najib said the KNB scholarship should be viewed as a starting point for encouraging greater interest in Indonesian universities among students from developing countries.

He added that positive experiences gained by scholarship recipients could help promote Indonesian higher education institutions in their home countries through word-of-mouth and academic networks.

According to Najib, the long-term success of the programme should be measured not by the number of scholarship recipients but by the quality of services and experiences provided by universities.

He urged institutions to focus on delivering strong academic support as well as positive non-academic experiences for international students.

Najib also highlighted the programme's role in supporting Indonesia's diplomatic engagement with partner countries.

“KNB is an important part of maintaining diplomacy with partner countries. Please provide the best experience for them so that the messages they bring home are positive messages about Indonesia,” he said.

The ministry believes that strengthening the quality of international student services could help position Indonesia as a more competitive study destination in the region.

The Developing Countries Partnership Scholarship, commonly known as the KNB Scholarship, was established by the Indonesian government to provide educational opportunities for students from developing countries to pursue undergraduate, master's and doctoral studies at Indonesian universities.

The programme forms part of Indonesia's broader efforts to strengthen educational cooperation, cultural exchange and diplomatic relations with partner nations.