The Brawijaya International Student Scholarship (BISS) is a fully funded award from Universitas Brawijaya (UB), a large public university in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. It covers tuition, a dormitory room, a monthly living allowance, health insurance and return flights, and it accepts applicants at Bachelor's, Master's and PhD level. There is also no application fee. For a Pakistani student who wants a funded degree in a Muslim-majority country without the heavy paperwork of the big government schemes, it is a sensible option to have on your list. You can see the full scholarship details on our scholarship page, and this guide explains how to use them.
One thing decides whether BISS is right for you, and it is language. Most programs at UB are taught in Bahasa Indonesia. Only a selected group runs in English. If you want an English-medium degree, your real question is whether your subject is in that group this cycle, not whether you can win the scholarship.
The BISS package in one table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Malang, East Java |
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Levels | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Usually opens | November |
| Last listed deadline | January 30, 2026 (confirm the current cycle on the portal) |
| Application fee | None |
| Official site | io.ub.ac.id BISS page |
Return flights are the part most Indonesian awards leave out
The BISS package includes:
- full tuition fees
- a monthly living allowance
- free accommodation in the university dormitory
- health insurance
- round-trip international flight tickets
The flights are the unusual item. Very few Indonesian university scholarships pay for travel, so the cost of getting from Pakistan to Malang and back is normally your problem. Here it is not. Combined with free dormitory housing, this removes the two biggest upfront costs a family usually has to find.
The source does not publish the size of the monthly allowance. Do not assume a figure from another Indonesian scholarship. Check the amount on the official BISS portal or ask the UB International Office before you plan your budget. Malang is described as an affordable, student-friendly city with a cool highland climate, which helps, but you should still know the number before you commit.
English-taught programs and why they change everything
The programs listed as available in English are Computer Science, Veterinary Medicine, Economics and Business, Civil Engineering, and Management. Every other major is open to BISS applicants too, but most of those programs are taught in Indonesian. UB says availability can vary by cycle, so confirm on the portal which programs and which degree levels are running in English before you apply. A subject offered in English at Bachelor's level is not automatically offered in English at PhD level.
Where is UB strongest? Agriculture, veterinary medicine, fisheries and marine science, engineering and social sciences are its noted research areas, with animal science, computer science and economics also mentioned. If you are a Pakistani student in agriculture, livestock, veterinary science or fisheries, this is a university with real depth in your field, and Pakistan's own needs in those areas make the degree easy to explain back home.
Age limits and who is eligible
BISS is open to students from all countries, which includes Pakistan. The only nationality rule is that you must not be an Indonesian citizen.
The age caps are firm and differ by level:
- Bachelor's applicants: maximum age 25
- Master's applicants: maximum age 35
- PhD applicants: maximum age 40
These limits are generous compared with many Asian scholarships, and the Bachelor's cap of 25 helps students who lost a year or two between intermediate and university. Still, check where you stand against the cap on the deadline date, and confirm on the portal how age is counted if you are close to the limit.
Beyond age and nationality, you need academic transcripts and certificates, either an English proficiency certificate or a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter, and a medical certificate. The MOI option matters for Pakistanis. If your previous degree was taught in English, a letter from your university saying so may be accepted in place of a test score. No minimum test score is published in the source, so do not guess at one.
The paperwork, including two UB templates you must use
The document list is:
- Valid passport
- Academic transcripts and certificates
- Motivation letter
- Curriculum Vitae on the official UB template
- English proficiency certificate or MOI letter
- Medical certificate
- Recommendation letters
- Research proposal (PhD applicants only)
UB also asks for a Letter of Statement on its own template. It does not appear in the main document list, but the application steps tell you to download it, so treat it as required.
The templates are the part applicants get wrong. UB wants its own CV format, and the guidance says a non-standard format may affect your application. Do not upload your usual two-page Europass or a CV from a Pakistani job portal. Download the official CV template and the Letter of Statement template and fill those in. Writing your own version of the statement is specifically warned against.
The medical certificate must be current at the time you apply, so get it close to submission rather than months earlier. For transcripts and degrees, many Pakistani students also prepare attested copies in advance. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains that process if you have not been through it yet.
For PhD applicants
You are expected to submit a research proposal, and you should ideally identify a potential supervisor at UB before applying. In practice this means reading faculty pages in your field, finding someone whose work matches yours, and writing to them with a short summary of your proposal. A proposal that already fits a named supervisor's research reads far better than a generic one.
How the online application works
- Read the scholarship page on the official BISS portal.
- Create an account on the UB admissions portal.
- Download the official CV template and the Letter of Statement template.
- Log in, fill in your personal and educational details, and upload all required documents.
- Submit before the deadline.
Everything goes through Brawijaya's own online system, so there is no separate government nomination stage. That makes BISS simpler than many national schemes. It also means nobody is chasing you if a file is missing.
Timing: when the next cycle opens
The scholarship typically opens around November. The last listed deadline was January 30, 2026. Dates can move from one cycle to the next, so confirm the current opening date and deadline on the official portal rather than planning around last year's date.
A realistic plan is to have your passport, transcripts, recommendation letters and English proof ready before November, then spend the open window on the motivation letter, the UB templates and, for PhD applicants, supervisor contact. Apply early. The portal may have technical issues near the deadline, and the last few days are the worst time to discover an upload error.
Mistakes that sink otherwise good BISS applications
The most common one is applying for a program without checking its language. If you pick a subject taught in Indonesian and you do not speak Indonesian, you have a problem even if you are selected. Confirm English availability for your exact program and level first.
The second is ignoring the templates. A neat custom CV is still the wrong CV here.
The third is an old medical certificate. Get a fresh one.
The fourth is leaving the motivation letter generic. Explain why UB and why your chosen program, and connect it to the university's real strengths. "Indonesia is a beautiful country" tells the committee nothing.
Who should skip BISS? Students set on a subject that UB only teaches in Indonesian, unless they are willing to learn the language. Students over the age cap for their level. And anyone who needs to see a fixed allowance figure before applying should get that figure from UB first.
Once you are selected, you will need an Indonesian student visa (Student KITAS). The Embassy of Indonesia in Islamabad (222-238 Street 11, E-7, Islamabad, +92-51-2275577) handles this for Pakistani recipients. In Indonesia, the Embassy of Pakistan in Jakarta provides consular services. If you are comparing this award with others in the country, see all Indonesia scholarships.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pakistani students apply for BISS?
Yes. The scholarship is open to students from all countries. You only need to be a non-Indonesian citizen and meet the age limit for your level.
Do I need IELTS or TOEFL?
You need either an English proficiency certificate or a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter. The source does not name a required test or minimum score, so check the official portal for what is accepted in the current cycle.
Which programs are taught in English?
Computer Science, Veterinary Medicine, Economics and Business, Civil Engineering, and Management are listed. Most other programs are in Indonesian, and availability can vary by cycle, so confirm on the portal.
How much is the monthly allowance?
The amount is not published in the information available to us. The package includes a monthly living allowance, free dormitory housing, health insurance and return flights, but ask UB for the exact allowance figure.
Is Malang a comfortable place for Muslim students?
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority country and halal food is easy to find. Malang is a mid-sized Javanese city with a large student population, affordable living costs and a cool highland climate.
Is there an application fee?
No. BISS charges no application fee.
Before you start, read the current cycle details on the official Brawijaya scholarship portal, and keep the full BISS scholarship page open while you prepare your documents.