Fully Funded UMS International Priority Scholarship 2026 Indonesia — Tuition + IDR 1.75M/Month + Airfare
One of Southeast Asia’s most accessible fully funded scholarships comes not from a government ministry but from a university that has quietly become Indonesia’s top-ranked private institution. The UMS International Priority Scholarship (IPS), offered by Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, covers full tuition, a monthly living allowance of IDR 1,750,000, health insurance, visa fees, and a return air ticket — for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral programs simultaneously.
What distinguishes IPS from most Indonesian scholarships is how much it covers at how low a barrier to entry. With a minimum GPA of just 75% and no mandatory IELTS requirement (alternative English certificates are accepted), it opens a realistic path to a fully funded degree in Southeast Asia for students who might not qualify for the more competitive government-funded alternatives like Darmasiswa or the KNB Scholarship. This guide covers exactly what the scholarship pays for, who it is genuinely designed for, what the programs are, and how to apply.
| Detail | Information |
| University/Organization | Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) |
| Country | Indonesia (Surakarta, Central Java) |
| Degree/Level | Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral (PhD) |
| Funding Type | Fully Funded |
| Deadline | Rolling intake — apply early for 2026/2027 cycle (verify current deadline at isp.ums.ac.id) |
| Open To | International students from Muslim-majority developing countries |
| Official Link | Apply Here |
🎓 About This Opportunity
Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta was established in 1958 under the Muhammadiyah organization — one of the world’s largest Islamic civil society organizations — and has grown into Indonesia’s most prominent private Islamic university. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, UMS ranked 1201–1500 globally and secured first place among private universities in Indonesia, sharing the position with BINUS University while standing alongside major public institutions such as Universitas Gadjah Mada and Institut Teknologi Bandung. It holds the highest “Unggul” (Excellent) accreditation from Indonesia’s national accreditation body, BAN-PT.
The International Priority Scholarship (IPS) is UMS’s primary instrument for attracting international students. It is designed specifically for Muslim youth from developing countries — the official institutional description targets students from Muslim-majority developing nations at the undergraduate level and Muslim postgraduates from the same group of countries. This is worth being clear about upfront: unlike fully open national scholarships such as the KNB (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang) managed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, IPS has an institutional religious and regional targeting criterion that determines who it is genuinely built for.
Compared to the KNB Scholarship — Indonesia’s largest government-funded international scholarship — IPS has a broader program coverage across faculties, a lower GPA minimum, and does not require Bahasa Indonesia proficiency at application. The KNB requires language competency and has a more competitive national selection process. IPS processes applications directly through UMS’s own portal, making the pathway considerably more straightforward.
🎓 Benefits / Funding
The UMS IPS Scholarship covers the following across all three degree levels:
- Full tuition fees — for the entire program duration (8 semesters for Bachelor’s, 4 semesters for Master’s, 6 semesters for Doctoral)
- Monthly living allowance of IDR 1,750,000 (approximately USD 105–110 per month at current rates; sufficient for basic living in Surakarta’s cost environment — verify on the official scholarship page)
- Books allowance of IDR 50,000 per month
- Health insurance — on-campus health services coverage
- Visa fees and Limited Stay Permit (KITAS) — handled and covered by UMS
- Return economy airfare — between the student’s home country and Indonesia at the start and end of the program
- Free Bahasa Indonesia language course (BIPA) — one full year for students in Regular Class programs; completion of BIPA is required before the academic program begins
Important note on the visa deposit: Applicants are required to pay a refundable visa deposit of IDR 6,000,000 (approximately USD 370) before arrival. This is returned after the student arrives in Indonesia. This deposit is not part of the scholarship cost but must be prepared in advance and is a practical barrier that some applicants do not anticipate. Factor this into your planning.
🎓 Eligibility Criteria
- Must be an international student — Indonesian citizens are not eligible
- Must be from a Muslim-majority developing country — the IPS is designed for Muslim students from developing nations; this is stated in UMS’s official institutional description and confirmed by the Office of International Affairs
- Minimum academic achievement of 75% (or equivalent; 75/100 on a 100-point scale) from the most recent institution attended
- Age limits by degree level: Bachelor’s (maximum 25), Master’s (maximum 30), Doctoral (maximum 35) at the time of application
- Passport validity: minimum 18 months from January of the enrollment year — UMS strongly recommends this because students from some countries cannot easily extend their passports while in Indonesia
- English proficiency certificate required — accepted formats include TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test; students who completed their prior degree with English as the medium of instruction may submit a language-of-instruction certificate from their institution instead (verify current accepted alternatives directly with UMS admissions)
- Willingness to pay the IDR 6,000,000 visa deposit (refunded upon arrival in Indonesia)
- Doctoral applicants must submit a research proposal as part of the application
🎓 Who Should Apply — and Who Probably Shouldn’t
✅ Strong fit:
- Muslim students from developing countries (particularly in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East) who meet the 75% GPA minimum
- Students interested in fields that have Indonesian or English medium International Class options — Engineering, Management, Law, Nursing, Informatics, Communication
- Applicants with a Duolingo English Test score who are locked out of scholarships that only accept IELTS or TOEFL iBT
- Students open to learning Bahasa Indonesia — the BIPA course is structured and supported, and proficiency in Bahasa opens up a much wider range of postgraduate programs
- Applicants seeking a fully funded Southeast Asian experience with relatively accessible entry requirements compared to government-managed alternatives
❌ Poor fit:
- Non-Muslim students or students from non-developing countries — the scholarship’s institutional mandate is specifically oriented toward Muslim-majority developing nations
- Students seeking an English-only postgraduate environment — nearly all Master’s and PhD programs at UMS are delivered in Bahasa Indonesia, with the sole exception of the Master of English Education program
- Students who cannot prepare the IDR 6,000,000 refundable deposit before departure — this is a cash-flow requirement, not a scholarship cost, but it must be budgeted for
- Applicants who need a globally recognized or rankings-prominent postgraduate degree for competitive career pathways outside Southeast Asia — UMS is well-regarded regionally and nationally, but its global brand recognition at postgraduate level is limited compared to scholarships in Europe, Japan, or Australia
🎓 Available Programs / Fields
UMS offers IPS across a wide range of faculties. Programs available in English (International Class) at undergraduate level include Management, Law, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Nursing, Communication, and Informatics — making these the most accessible for applicants without Bahasa Indonesia proficiency.
Programs delivered only in Bahasa Indonesia include Accounting, Psychology, Pharmacy, Geography, all Education faculty programs, Islamic Studies (Bahasa/Arabic), and most postgraduate degrees.
Postgraduate programs (Master’s and Doctoral) are almost entirely in Bahasa Indonesia. The one confirmed English-medium postgraduate option is the Master of English Education (Magister Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris). Doctoral programs are available in Law, Islamic Studies, Education Sciences, Management, Indonesian Language Education, Psychology, Mechanical Engineering, and Pharmacy — all in Bahasa Indonesia.
For the complete and most current list of all available study programs by faculty and degree level, visit the UMS Scholarship Programs page directly — the table there is detailed and includes medium of instruction for each program.
🎓 Required Documents
The following documents are required for the IPS application, submitted via the UMS International Student Portal:
- Passport photo (JPG/JPEG, light background, 200KB–300KB)
- Latest academic certificate — your most recent completed degree certificate (PDF)
- Latest academic transcript (PDF)
- Language proficiency certificate — TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test (PDF); or language-of-instruction certificate from prior institution
- Passport scan — cover page (PDF; fully scanned, all four corners visible)
- Passport scan — detail/information pages (PDF; pages 1 and 2, fully scanned)
- Academic recommendation letter from a previous academic supervisor (PDF)
- Research proposal — Doctoral applicants only (PDF)
Documents required after acceptance (not at initial application stage):
- Medical report
- Financial guarantee (for non-scholarship applicants — not required for IPS awardees)
- Agreement and Declaration Letter
- Proof of visa deposit payment (IDR 6,000,000)
🎓 Step-by-Step Application Process
- Confirm program and eligibility. Identify which UMS program you wish to apply for and verify it is available in your preferred medium of instruction. Check the program table on the UMS Scholarship page and cross-reference the medium of instruction column.
- Prepare your language certificate. If you do not have IELTS or TOEFL, the Duolingo English Test is an accepted alternative — and considerably cheaper. If your prior degree was taught in English, request a formal letter from your institution confirming this. Do not apply without a valid language document; incomplete applications are not reviewed.
- Create an account on the UMS International Student Portal at isp.ums.ac.id and begin your application. The portal handles both the admission application and scholarship consideration simultaneously — there is no separate scholarship application form.
- Upload all required documents. The portal accepts PDF format for most documents. Ensure your passport scan captures all four corners of every page; UMS explicitly flags incomplete scans as a common rejection reason.
- Submit your application. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the UMS Admissions Team. There is no single fixed annual deadline published on the official portal — the 2026/2027 intake is currently open. Apply as early as possible; rolling review means earlier applicants receive decisions sooner and have more options if conditional requirements arise.
- Await the selection result. UMS communicates results via the International Student Portal and by email. If accepted as a scholarship awardee, you will then be asked to submit the post-acceptance documents listed above, including the visa deposit receipt.
- Complete the BIPA language program. Before beginning your academic program, all students joining Regular Class (Bahasa Indonesia medium) complete the one-year BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia for International Students) course. This is a funded, structured program and is not an obstacle — it is a preparation requirement.
Practical tip: The recommendation letter is a document that frequently delays applications. Approach your academic supervisor at least four weeks before you plan to submit. The letter should be on institutional letterhead, signed, and dated close to your submission date — UMS reviewers flag letters that are several months old.
🎓 Important Dates
| Event | Information |
| 2026/2027 Intake Status | Open (rolling applications) |
| Fixed public deadline | Not published — apply as early as possible |
| Result notification | Via UMS International Student Portal and email |
| BIPA program start | Before academic semester commencement |
Bookmark the UMS International Student Portal and check back regularly — UMS may post intake-specific deadlines or cohort close dates without broad advance notice on third-party scholarship platforms.
🎓 Why Apply — Why UMS and Indonesia
Surakarta (also known as Solo) is one of Central Java’s most culturally significant cities — home to traditional Javanese courts, batik craftsmanship, and a cost of living that makes the IDR 1,750,000 monthly allowance go considerably further than it would in Jakarta or Bali. For students whose primary goal is affordable, fully funded graduate study in a supportive Islamic university environment, Surakarta is a genuine destination rather than a compromise.
UMS is the #1 Islamic university in Indonesia according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 — ranking 1201–1500 globally with a score of 27.3–32.0. In national context, it stands alongside the leading public universities. This is meaningful for students seeking a degree from an institution with verifiable rankings standing, not just a scholarship label.
The university’s BAN-PT “Unggul” (Excellent) accreditation — the highest institutional accreditation level in Indonesia — ensures that degrees from UMS are recognized by the Indonesian government and have formal standing for professional and academic progression. For students planning careers in Indonesia, Southeast Asia, or in fields where Indonesian institutional credentials are recognized, this matters.
UMS also connects students to a broader network through its active international programs, student mobility partnerships, and campus organizations. With approximately 47,000 total students and an active international affairs office, the campus has genuine infrastructure for international students rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Gradualin Editor’s Note: The UMS IPS is one of the more genuinely accessible fully funded scholarships in Asia for its target demographic — Muslim students from developing countries with a solid but not exceptional academic record. The 75% GPA floor is low by international scholarship standards, and the acceptance of Duolingo scores removes a significant barrier. The honest caveat is language: unless you choose one of the English International Class programs at undergraduate level, or the Master of English Education, you will need to become proficient in Bahasa Indonesia to complete your degree. This is not a reason to avoid the scholarship, but it is a real commitment. Students who treat BIPA seriously and arrive willing to immerse in the language consistently report a smoother academic trajectory than those who underestimate it.
🎓 FAQ
These questions are based on what students most commonly search about this program.
1. Is the UMS International Priority Scholarship open to non-Muslim students? The official IPS description from UMS’s Office of International Affairs specifies that the scholarship is for Muslim students from Muslim-majority developing countries. While the ISP application portal uses broader language, the institutional mandate and historical practice of the program target this demographic. If you are a non-Muslim student, it is strongly advisable to contact UMS admissions directly — at io@ums.ac.id — before investing time in the application, to confirm your eligibility for the current cycle.
2. Can I apply for UMS IPS without IELTS? Yes. The scholarship accepts TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo English Test certificates as proof of English proficiency. If your most recent degree was taught in English, your institution can issue a language-of-instruction certificate that UMS accepts in place of a standardized test score. This makes IPS more accessible than many comparable scholarships that mandate IELTS or TOEFL iBT specifically.
3. Are postgraduate programs at UMS taught in English? Almost entirely, no. The vast majority of Master’s and Doctoral programs at UMS use Bahasa Indonesia as the medium of instruction. The confirmed exception at postgraduate level is the Master of English Education program. At undergraduate level, several International Class programs are taught in English — including Management, Law, several Engineering fields, Nursing, Communication, and Informatics. If English-medium postgraduate instruction is essential for you, UMS is not the right fit for most fields.
4. What is the IDR 6,000,000 visa deposit and do I get it back? This is a refundable deposit that UMS requires before they can process your visa and Limited Stay Permit (KITAS). It is not a tuition or scholarship cost — it is a procedural requirement to cover visa-related administrative risk. The deposit is returned to you after you arrive in Indonesia and complete the visa formalities. You need to have this amount available in cash or transferable funds before departure, even though it will ultimately be returned.
5. What is the BIPA program and is it mandatory? BIPA stands for Bahasa Indonesia untuk Penutur Asing — Bahasa Indonesia for Foreign Speakers. It is a one-year language course funded by UMS and provided before the academic semester begins. It is mandatory for students who enroll in Regular Class (Bahasa Indonesia medium) programs. Students in English International Class programs are also offered BIPA but may not be required to complete it to the same level. The course is not a penalty — it is structured, funded, and genuinely prepares students for academic life in an Indonesian-language environment.
6. Is the UMS scholarship a rolling or fixed annual deadline? UMS processes applications on a rolling basis throughout the year for its 2026/2027 intake. There is no single published fixed deadline on the official portal. This means your application can be submitted and reviewed at any time while the intake is open, but it also means spaces can fill progressively — earlier applications receive decisions sooner. Check the UMS International Student Portal directly for the latest intake status rather than relying on third-party deadline listings, which often state estimated or prior-year dates.
🎓 Official Sources
- UMS Scholarship Application Portal
- IPS Official Page — Office of International Affairs
- UMS Undergraduate IPS Page
- UMS Postgraduate IPS Page
- International Student Admissions Announcement 2026/2027
- Address: Jl. A. Yani, Pabelan, Kartasura, Sukoharjo, Central Java 57169, Indonesia
- Phone: +62 271-717417
- Contact UMS International Office
🎓 Summary Table
| Detail | Information |
| University | Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) |
| Scholarship Name | International Priority Scholarship (IPS) |
| Country | Indonesia (Surakarta, Central Java) |
| Degree Levels | Bachelor’s (8 semesters), Master’s (4 semesters), Doctoral (6 semesters) |
| Funding Type | Fully Funded |
| Tuition | 100% covered |
| Monthly Allowance | IDR 1,750,000 |
| Books Allowance | IDR 50,000/month |
| Health Insurance | Included |
| Visa and Permit | Covered |
| Airfare | Return economy class, included |
| Language Course | Free 1-year BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia) |
| Visa Deposit | IDR 6,000,000 (refundable on arrival) |
| Deadline | Rolling — currently open for 2026/2027 |
| GPA Minimum | 75% (75/100 scale) |
| Age Limit | Bachelor’s: 25 / Master’s: 30 / Doctoral: 35 |
| Open To | Muslim students from Muslim-majority developing countries |
| Official Link | Apply Here |
Related Opportunities and Resources
If you are exploring scholarships in Southeast Asia and the wider Islamic world, these Gradualin resources are directly relevant:
- Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in Asia 2027
- Top Fully Funded Scholarships in Saudi Arabia 2026
- Study in Turkey 2026 — Guide for International Students
- Study in Germany 2026 — Guide for International Students
- Fully Funded Scholarships in Australia 2026
Browse the full scholarship directory at Scholarships, find internship and career opportunities at Jobs & Internships, explore global events at Events & Conferences, and access application guides at Guidelines & Resources.
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Author: Faseeh Sultan — MSIT, PhD Scholar | 7 Years in Education
