Europe, the Top Destination for Indonesian LPDP Overseas Scholarship Recipients

According to the report by Andin Hadiyanto, the Chief Executive Officer of the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), 5,664 individuals received LPDP scholarships in 2022.

Of this number, 51.2% pursued their studies at domestic universities, while 48.8% studied abroad.

The majority of LPDP scholarship recipients studying abroad (58%) chose universities in Europe. Others studied in Australia and New Zealand (20.7%), North America (12.2%), Asia (8.6%), and Africa (0.5%).

The following are the top 10 foreign universities chosen by LPDP scholarship recipients in 2022:

1. Wageningen University (Netherlands)
2. The University of Melbourne (Australia)
3. University College London (United Kingdom)
4. The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
5. Monash University (Australia)
6. The Australian National University (Australia)
7. The University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
8. University of Leeds (United Kingdom)
9. University of Glasgow (United Kingdom)
10. University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)

On the other hand, LPDP CEO Andin Hadiyanto also revealed that some LPDP alumni failed to fulfill their contract to return to Indonesia after completing their studies.

"Out of 35,000 (the total number of LPDP scholarship recipients from 2013-2022), 413 are currently facing issues," said Andin in a meeting with Commission XI of the DPR (House of Representatives) on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

"Of those 413, 144 have been addressed and have returned (to Indonesia). We are currently in intensive communication to bring back the remaining 169, which is less than one percent," he continued.

According to Andin, a small number of these LPDP alumni have not returned to Indonesia because they married and have children abroad. However, he did not specify which countries these alumni are residing in.

The sanctions for LPDP scholarship recipients who violate their contract are as follows:

* Minor administrative sanctions: A maximum of three written warnings.
* Moderate administrative sanctions: Suspension of study fund payments, adjustment of study fund payments, and/or reimbursement for specific components of the study fund.
* Severe administrative sanctions: Termination as a scholarship recipient without reimbursement of the received study funds, termination as a scholarship recipient with the obligation to return study funds, and blocking from future participation in LPDP programs.