In order to provide access to inclusive and equitable education, the University of Indonesia (UI) opens the widest possible learning opportunities for anyone, including foreign nationals. In Law No. 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System, it is stated that “Foreign citizens can become students in educational units held within the territory of the Republic of Indonesia”. To carry out this mandate, UI provides various learning programs for foreign students.
Study programs at UI for foreign students include degree(tiered) and non-degree programs. Degreeprograms include undergraduate and postgraduate programs, while non-degree programs facilitate 6–12 months of student exchange for students from partner universities. In 2021, there were 1,320 foreign students registered at UI (from 61 countries).
The highest number of foreign students came from neighboring countries. There are students from Malaysia with 209 students, then Australia (180 students), the Philippines (172 students), South Korea (171 students), and Japan (86 students). They are spread across 17 faculties, with the Faculty of Humanity (FIB) being the most popular.
According to Fatou Diagne Mbaye, from Senegal, a master’s degree student at the Faculty of Law, UI is the best university in Indonesia, so it attracts many foreign students. In addition, UI’s achievement, which is able to penetrate the ranking of the 200 best universities in the world, is also the reason why many foreign students choose to continue their studies at UI.
Meanwhile, Abdulroman Ngopulae, a Social Welfare Master’s Degree student, revealed that he was interested in UI because the campus has a beautiful environment, filled with trees and green areas. This student from Thailand shared his story about the process he “found” UI. “While pursuing undergraduate education at a university in Jakarta, I once came to the Mata Najwa event that was attended by the Third President of Indonesia, the late. BJ. Habibie. Because it was held at the Universitas Indonesia’s Ballroom, I took advantage of that moment to tour around UI’s campus. That’s when I was motivated to continue my postgraduate studies here because UI has good facilities and views as well as an environmentally friendly area,” said Abdulroman.
In addition to participating in teaching and learning activities in class, UI has a student activity unit (UKM) that foreign students can participate in. In addition to participating in teaching and learning activities in class, UI has a student activity unit (UKM) that foreign students can participate in. Fatou, who is majoring in International Trade Law, became a member of the 2020/2021 Law Student Association for Strategic Studies. According to him, seminars and discussions at this association support lectures and help students find internships and work vacancies.
Meanwhile, Abdulroman was actually interested in participating in the batik making training held by the Indonesian Language Institute for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) UI. Batik is one of his favorite cultures because it is the hallmark and pride of the Indonesian people.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, lectures are held online. This situation became an obstacle for the two foreign students, because they could not interact directly with lecturers and other students. Even so, Fatou and Abdulroman still have the spirit to complete their studies. “After I graduate, I hope that the UI campus can accept more students from Thailand to study here. Hopefully the UI campus can maintain the title of the best campus and excel among all campuses in Indonesia, both in quality and quantity,” said Abdulroman.
While studying at UI, Fatou also had an impression on Indonesian society, culture, and environment. According to him, Indonesia and Senegal have similarities and differences. “In terms of culture, actually Indonesians are very similar to Senegalese. The majority of its citizens are Muslim. You could say we share some of the same traits; being friendly and polite. The difference is in the characteristics of food. Food in Senegal is mostly bread, cheeseand butter. We have a specialty called Delian which is made of rice and millet. As far as I know, Indonesian food is heavily influenced by Chinese food, while Senegalese food is heavily influenced by French food, so it is not spicy,” Fatou explained.
Fatou and Abdulroman are students of the Developing Country Partnership (KNB) scholarship program managed by the Directorate General of Higher Education (Dikti), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. This scholarship is offered to selected applicants who are from developing countries. As one of KNB’s destination universities, UI fully supports the program in order to expand access to education. The number of international students reflects the global visibility of higher education institutions. Therefore, to support the internationalization of universities in Indonesia and accommodate the increasing interest in learning from applicants around the world, Universitas Indonesia (UI) opens access to registration for foreign students at https://admission.ui.ac.id/.
