Minister: Overseas Scholarships Costly, Recipients Must Return with Contributions

Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has reminded Garuda scholarship recipients to be aware of the significant state investment funding their education abroad. He revealed that the government’s expenditure for a student overseas can be hundreds of times greater than the cost of educating a student domestically.

Consequently, he urged scholarship recipients to bear a moral responsibility to repay this investment through tangible contributions to Indonesia’s advancement. “You know that the scholarship money the state gives you is many times more than what we spend to fund education at home. Some are a hundred times, some two hundred times,” Brian said during a briefing for Garuda scholarship recipients and participants of the SMA Unggul Garuda Transformasi programme at the Ministry’s office in South Jakarta on Thursday, 9 July 2026.

Brian clarified that the substantial state expenditure does not mean scholarship recipients owe a debt to be repaid with money. He stated that the expected form of repayment is through contribution or by bringing benefits to Indonesia after completing their education. “You have a responsibility. You are responsible for repaying our nation later in another form, repaying it in the form of our nation’s progress,” he said.

He also reminded students not to continue relying on government assistance after completing their undergraduate degrees. According to Brian, students who have had the opportunity to study at the world’s top universities must be bold in seeking opportunities and independent funding if they wish to continue their studies. “Once your bachelor’s degree is finished, don’t demand, ‘Where is the master’s scholarship?’ Don’t. You have already gone abroad, look for a scholarship there. If there is a good professor, approach him. Ask for a scholarship from the professor,” he said.

Furthermore, Brian urged scholarship recipients to develop a resilient character while pursuing their education overseas. He views challenges and failures as part of the character-building process, not something to complain about. According to him, Indonesian students need perseverance, tenacity, fighting spirit, and humility to compete at a global level. “All success is born from a long process; nothing is instant,” Brian said. He also advised scholarship recipients to absorb knowledge from developed countries and bring that knowledge back to drive the progress of the Indonesian nation.