Most “without IELTS” scholarship claims across this series come from reading between the lines of a university’s admissions policy. Indonesia’s flagship government scholarship doesn’t require that kind of interpretation — its own official guidelines state the exemption directly, in writing: “Foreign nationals from English-speaking countries or participants enrolled in English programmes at universities are exempt from submitting English proficiency documents.” That’s not a workaround discovered through a forum post or a scholarship aggregator’s guesswork. It’s published, verbatim, in the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship’s own eligibility criteria.

For students comparing international student financial aid across Southeast Asia, this matters because it changes the calculation from “which alternative test is accepted” to a genuinely binary question: does your prior education qualify you for the exemption outright, or not? Combined with Indonesia’s remarkably low cost of living — one of the more affordable destinations among any country covered in this entire series — and a student KITAS visa financial requirement that’s noticeably lighter than Western Tier-1 destinations, Indonesia positions itself as a genuinely distinct option rather than simply a budget alternative to better-known Asian study destinations.

This guide walks through exactly which Indonesia scholarships for international students without IELTS genuinely exist for 2027, how KNB’s written exemption actually applies in practice across its 47 partner universities, and where individual institutions like Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Gadjah Mada layer their own admissions requirements on top of the national scheme.

Reading the Exemption Correctly

KNB’s exemption applies in two distinct situations: you’re a citizen of an English-speaking country, or your prior degree was delivered entirely in an English-medium programme. Notice what it doesn’t say — it doesn’t exempt you simply for having studied English as a subject, or for having a general aptitude in the language. If neither condition applies to you, the standard published thresholds kick back in, and they vary meaningfully by degree level: roughly IELTS 5.5 for Bachelor’s applicants, rising to IELTS 6.0 for Master’s and Doctoral candidates.

The Scholarships

1. Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship
Full tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, settlement and research support, health insurance, round-trip airfare, and local transportation, for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral study across 47 participating Indonesian universities.
🔗 knb.kemdiktisaintek.go.id
This is the scholarship with the officially written English exemption above — beyond that, applicants must be citizens of a developing country, meet degree-specific age limits (21 for Bachelor’s, rising to 40 for Doctoral study under some published guidance), and secure a recommendation letter from the Indonesian Embassy in their country of origin, not their country of current residence.

2. Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship — Universitas Indonesia
Access to the national scholarship’s full funding package specifically for Master’s and Doctoral programmes at Indonesia’s top-ranked university, based in Depok near Jakarta.
🔗 international.ui.ac.id/knb
Universitas Indonesia’s own international office publishes slightly different published English thresholds than the general national guidelines (TOEFL IBT 61 for Master’s, rising to 71 for Doctoral candidates) — always confirm which specific version of the requirement applies to your target programme rather than assuming the national figure automatically transfers.

3. Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship — Universitas Gadjah Mada
National scholarship funding for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral study at this Yogyakarta-based university, consistently ranked among Indonesia’s top research institutions.
🔗 um.ugm.ac.id
Universitas Gadjah Mada’s comprehensive programme offering across nearly every academic field makes it one of the most commonly chosen destinations among KNB scholarship recipients — check its international office directly for programme-specific English documentation requirements.

4. Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship — Institut Teknologi Bandung
National scholarship funding for engineering, science, and technology-focused Master’s and Doctoral study at Indonesia’s leading technical institute.
🔗 itb.ac.id
A strong option specifically for STEM applicants, with Institut Teknologi Bandung’s own graduate admissions process running largely in English for its international-track programmes, making the KNB exemption particularly relevant if your prior engineering or science degree was also English-medium.

5. Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship — Universitas Airlangga
National scholarship funding for health sciences, economics, and related fields at this Surabaya-based university.
🔗 unair.ac.id
Universitas Airlangga’s strength in health sciences and public health makes it a genuinely distinctive option among the flagship KNB partner universities, particularly for medical and allied health applicants.

6. Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship — Universitas Brawijaya
National scholarship funding across a broad range of academic fields at this Malang-based university, one of Indonesia’s larger participating institutions.
🔗 ub.ac.id
Malang’s noticeably lower cost of living compared to Jakarta or Surabaya makes Universitas Brawijaya worth prioritizing specifically for students weighing how far their KNB living allowance will genuinely stretch.

7. Beasiswa Seni dan Budaya Indonesia (Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship)
Funding covering short-term study in Indonesian traditional arts, culture, and language, typically over a period of several months rather than a full degree.
🔗 kemlu.go.id
Worth including specifically because English testing is genuinely irrelevant here — this programme focuses on Indonesian cultural and language immersion, similar to how this series has treated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques scholarship’s Arabic-medium tracks or Instituto Camões’s Portuguese-language programmes.

8. Universitas Padjadjaran International Scholarships
Tuition support for international students at this Bandung-based university, alongside its participation in the national KNB scholarship framework.
🔗 unpad.ac.id
A solid option specifically for social sciences and law applicants, with Bandung’s cooler climate and strong student-city character making it a genuinely different experience from Jakarta-based institutions.

9. Bina Nusantara University International Scholarships
Merit-based tuition support for international students at this Jakarta-based private university, known for its strong business and computer science programmes taught predominantly in English.
🔗 binus.ac.id
As a private institution with an academic model built substantially around English-medium instruction from the outset, Bina Nusantara University is worth checking directly if you’re relying on prior English-medium education as your primary documentation route.

10. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia International Scholarships
Funding for international students in education, teacher training, and related fields at this Bandung-based university, participating in the national KNB scholarship scheme.
🔗 upi.edu
A genuinely distinctive option among this list specifically for students pursuing education and pedagogy fields, an area less commonly covered by the more STEM and business-focused institutions elsewhere on this list.

Making Sense of the English Requirement Across Partner Universities

The national KNB exemption applies uniformly across all 47 participating universities in principle, but individual institutions like Universitas Indonesia sometimes publish slightly different specific score thresholds on their own international office pages than the general national guidelines circulate. The safest approach is treating the national KNB portal’s exemption language as your baseline, then confirming your specific target university’s own published requirements directly, since minor discrepancies between the two do genuinely appear in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need IELTS for the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang Scholarship?
Not if you’re from an English-speaking country or your prior degree was delivered in an English-medium programme — the scholarship’s own official guidelines state this exemption directly. Outside those two conditions, standard TOEFL, IELTS, or TOEIC thresholds apply, varying by degree level.

Can I apply to more than one Indonesian university through the KNB Scholarship in the same cycle?
During your application, you’re typically asked to select one university and up to three specific study programmes within it — check the current cycle’s exact selection format on the official portal, since this structure is periodically adjusted.

Does Indonesia’s student visa process check my English proficiency separately?
No. Indonesia’s student KITAS (limited stay permit) process focuses on your university acceptance letter, sponsor documentation from your host institution, and proof of financial means — your English proficiency was already assessed and settled during scholarship or university admission.

Is Indonesia genuinely cheaper to live in than other Southeast Asian study destinations?
Generally yes — Indonesia’s cost of living, particularly outside Jakarta in cities like Yogyakarta, Malang, or Bandung, tends to run lower than comparable Southeast Asian study hubs like Singapore or even parts of Malaysia and Thailand, which is part of why KNB’s monthly living allowance is widely reported as genuinely sufficient for day-to-day expenses.

What the Scholarship Doesn’t Cover

Even KNB’s comprehensive funding package leaves some gaps worth planning for. Its own guidelines note explicitly that students are responsible for any costs not specifically listed in the award — budget separately for Indonesia’s student KITAS visa financial proof requirement, supplementary health insurance beyond the scholarship’s basic coverage, and initial settling-in costs before your first allowance payment arrives. A service like Wise is worth using specifically for moving remaining funds or family support into an Indonesian rupiah account without the markup a traditional international bank transfer typically carries.

Timing Worth Knowing

The KNB Scholarship’s 2026-2027 cycle ran its application window from February 2 to March 31, 2026, with results published around mid-June and program start dates scheduled for late August — expect a similar late-January or early-February opening for the 2027-2028 cycle, though always confirm the current year’s exact dates directly on the official portal. Individual university admissions processes (Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Gadjah Mada, and the others above) generally align their own internal timelines with the national KNB calendar rather than running an entirely separate schedule.

Before You Apply

  • Confirm honestly whether you qualify for KNB’s written English exemption — English-speaking country citizenship or a genuinely English-medium prior degree, not simply strong English skills generally
  • Secure your Indonesian Embassy recommendation letter early, since it must come from your country of origin specifically, not your country of current residence
  • Check your specific target university’s own published English-proficiency thresholds, since these occasionally differ slightly from the general national guidelines
  • Verify current age-limit eligibility for your degree level before investing time in your application
  • Budget separately for Indonesia’s KITAS visa financial proof requirement and supplementary health insurance beyond the scholarship’s basic coverage
  • Re-verify every scholarship’s current deadline and required documents directly on the official KNB portal before applying, since the application cycle opens and closes within a tight annual window
Scholarships Without IELTS