UIN Malang International Scholarship 2027 - Study in Indonesia

Most Indonesian scholarship announcements that circulate in Kabul and Peshawar are graduate research awards at secular universities. This one is different in three ways that matter: it accepts bachelor's applicants, it teaches in English while putting you through a year of Indonesian, and it is run by an Islamic state university that treats Arabic as a working language rather than a foreign one.

What it covers

The International Student Scholarship pays the registration fee, the one-semester BIPA programme (Bahasa Indonesia for foreign speakers), tuition for the full length of your degree, examination fees, and a place in a student dormitory. Bachelor's programmes run eight semesters, master's four and doctoral six. The university states plainly that the award does not cover living costs, so you must arrive with your own money for food, local transport, books and the visa process. Read that sentence twice before you apply: a dormitory bed and a tuition waiver in Malang are worth a great deal, but they are not a stipend.

Who can apply

Any foreign national who meets the academic level and the age ceiling for that level. There is no country quota and no requirement that your home university have a partnership with UIN Malang, which is unusual for a state Islamic university and is the reason this award is worth checking if you are Afghan, Pakistani or from Central Asia. Thirty bachelor's programmes are open, twelve at master's level and six at doctoral level, covering Islamic education, Arabic language and literature, sharia law and economics, psychology, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, informatics, architecture and civil engineering.

Eligibility self-check

Am I 22 or under for a bachelor's place, 35 or under for a master's, 40 or under for a doctorate? The ceilings are hard. Can I show a completed secondary certificate, or a bachelor's or master's degree, with a transcript? Do I have an Arabic or English proficiency certificate? A certificate is required, not optional. Can I obtain a recommendation letter from an Indonesian embassy or consulate in my country? Can I produce a police clearance certificate from my own authorities? Do I have funds for living costs for at least the first semester?

The consular recommendation and the police clearance are the two items that stop otherwise strong applications. Both take weeks, and neither can be produced retroactively.

Deadline

Registration closes on 30 November 2026. Desk review runs from 1 to 3 December, interviews from 7 to 11 December, and results are announced on 14 December 2026. Visa processing then runs through January 2027 and students are expected in Indonesia between 1 and 12 February 2027. This is a fast calendar: there is no second round and no late window.

Application materials checklist

Completed application form Copy of a valid passport or national ID Copy of your last diploma and transcript A recent 4 x 6 cm formal photograph Curriculum vitae Motivation letter Reference letter from an Indonesian embassy or consulate Clearance certificate from your country's authorities Arabic or English language certificate Optional: Indonesian language certificate Certificates for academic or non-academic achievements Medical certificate Doctoral applicants: a dissertation research proposal

Everything must be translated into English or Indonesian by a certified translator. Photographs of translated documents taken on a phone are routinely rejected in desk review.

How to apply

Register on the UIN Malang international scholarship portal, complete the form, upload every document and submit. You receive proof of registration; keep it, because it is the reference used in the interview invitation. Shortlisted applicants go through a portfolio review and an online interview in the second week of December.

https://ioregs.uin-malang.ac.id/scholarship

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying for a doctoral place with a proposal written for a different university's supervisor. The proposal has to fit a department that exists in Malang. Choosing a programme by title without checking whether it is taught in English, Indonesian or Arabic. Sending untranslated documents and hoping the desk review will accept them; it will not. Ignoring the age ceiling because a relative was admitted at 24 under an older rule. Treating the dormitory place as full funding and then discovering in February that you cannot pay for food.

Tips to win

The interview is described by the university as a portfolio review, which means they will ask you to talk about what you have already done - a school you helped run, a translation project, a community class - not only about what you hope to study. Prepare three concrete things you have organised or completed, and connect each one to the programme you chose. If your Arabic is stronger than your English, say so in the motivation letter and point at the programmes where that is an asset. Keep a GPA of at least 3.00 in mind: the award is renewed each semester on academic and disciplinary review, so the first semester is not the finish line.

Other scholarships worth reading

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=141

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=23

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=136

Talk to an OEAC advisor

An OEAC advisor can check your age against the programme ceiling, review your motivation letter and tell you which of the thirty bachelor's programmes matches your school certificate, before the 30 November deadline.

Last updated: 9 November 2026