The KNB Scholarship (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang, roughly "Developing Country Partnership Scholarship") is the Government of Indonesia's main fully funded award for students from developing countries. It is administered by the Indonesian Directorate General of Higher Education and places students at 47 partner state universities for Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees. You can see the full scholarship details on our scholarship page, but this guide goes further into how the application actually works for a student applying from Pakistan.
Two things make KNB different from most government scholarships. First, it funds undergraduate study, which is rare. Second, the process has extra gates that catch people out: an Indonesian Embassy recommendation letter you must get before applying online, a mandatory 5-minute YouTube video, and a long medical screening list. If you plan for those three, the rest is fairly standard.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Levels | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD |
| Provider | Government of Indonesia, Directorate General of Higher Education |
| Universities | 47 partner state universities |
| Typically opens | February |
| Last listed deadline | March 31, 2026 (confirm the current cycle on the portal) |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Official site | knb.kemdiktisaintek.go.id |
Who KNB suits, and who should think twice
KNB makes the most sense for a student who is genuinely interested in Indonesia, is comfortable spending an extra 6 to 12 months learning Bahasa Indonesia before the degree starts, and wants a funded route at Bachelor's level, which is hard to find elsewhere. It also suits Master's and PhD applicants who want to work at places like Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) for engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) for sciences and agriculture, or Universitas Indonesia (UI) for medicine and social sciences. Universitas Airlangga and Universitas Brawijaya are also among the partners.
For many Pakistani students the practical comforts matter too. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim-majority population, halal food is available everywhere, and the main university cities (Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya) are affordable by global standards.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to bring a spouse or children. KNB holders cannot sponsor family members, and marriage is not permitted during the scholarship period. Also skip it if you are not willing to commit to the language year. It is not something you can opt out of because your program happens to be taught in English.
What the package pays for
The source lists these components:
- Full tuition fees
- A monthly living allowance
- A settlement allowance when you arrive in Indonesia
- Health insurance
- A research allowance, for postgraduate students only
- A return international air ticket
No amounts are published for the allowances, so do not plan your budget around a figure you saw on a forum. Download the official guideline from the portal for the current cycle and read the funding section there. Bachelor's students should note the research allowance does not apply to them.
The Darmasiswa language year is part of the deal
Every KNB recipient takes a mandatory Indonesian language preparatory course, called the Darmasiswa program, for 6 to 12 months before the degree begins. It is fully funded and counts as part of the scholarship period. After the course you must show enough Indonesian proficiency to start your main degree.
Some universities run English-medium programs, but the preparatory language year is generally required for all KNB recipients anyway. My honest view: treat this year as an asset. Students who take the language seriously find it much easier to work with local supervisors, labs and classmates later. Students who treat it as a holiday often struggle in the first semester of the degree.
Eligibility rules that disqualify people quietly
KNB is open to students from developing countries that have diplomatic relations with Indonesia. Pakistani applicants go through the Embassy of Indonesia in Islamabad, which handles scholarship nomination queries for Pakistan. The embassy is also the right place to ask about Pakistan's quota for the current cycle.
The listed requirements are:
- You are a student from a developing country and not an Indonesian citizen.
- Bachelor's applicants must be no older than 21 years by December 31, 2026. No age limit is listed for Master's or PhD applicants, so check the official guideline.
- English: TOEFL ITP 477, TOEFL iBT 53, IELTS 5.5 or TOEIC 510, with the test taken within 2 years.
- Your passport must be valid until at least December 31, 2027.
- You hold an Indonesian Embassy Recommendation Letter from your country of origin.
- You are not currently married to an Indonesian citizen or a scholarship recipient.
- You are not undergoing military service.
The passport rule is the one I see students overlook. An expiring passport will disqualify the application, and renewing a passport in Pakistan takes time you may not have in March. Check the expiry date the day you decide to apply. The English scores are modest, but the 2-year validity window matters if you took IELTS a while ago.
Also, apply at one level only. Choose one level and one target program before you start. Spreading applications across levels is explicitly discouraged.
The embassy recommendation letter comes first
This is the step that decides whether you make the deadline. You cannot submit the online application until the Indonesian Embassy in your home country has given you a recommendation letter. Applications without it are not accepted.
For Pakistan, the process looks like this. You email the education section of the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad at pendidikan.islamabad@kemlu.go.id and send your passport copy, CV, academic certificates, English test result, the KNB Offering Letter and your recommendation letters. The embassy may ask for more documents, review your profile, and in some cases call you in for a physical verification meeting. The embassy is at 222-238 Street 11, E-7, Islamabad (phone +92-51-2275577), and its website is islamabad.kemlu.go.id.
Estimates for how long this takes range from about 3 to 6 weeks, and it cannot be rushed. If the portal opens in early February and closes at the end of March, you should be emailing the embassy in the first week the portal opens, not in mid-March.
Documents to gather before you write a single email
- KNB Offering Letter, downloaded from the official portal
- Valid passport
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- English proficiency test certificate
- Academic certificates and transcripts
- Embassy Recommendation Letter
- Employer letter, or a statement letter if you are unemployed
- Academic Recommendation Letter
- Certified medical report, issued within 3 months
- The 5-minute YouTube video
- For Doctoral applicants only: a Research Supervisor Recommendation and a Statement of Purpose
The medical report covers TB, HIV, Syphilis, Ebola, Mpox, mental health and drug screening. That is a long list, and not every private lab will issue one official certificate covering all of it. Book early at a government hospital that can. Because the report must be within 3 months, do not get it done too early either. For general preparation, our documents checklist for international scholarships and the IBCC and MOFA attestation guide are useful companions.
Making the 5-minute YouTube video count
The video is mandatory and it is evaluated in the academic selection stage. It should cover four things: your academic profile, why you chose Indonesia, why this specific university and program, and your long-term career goals.
Treat it like a spoken personal statement. A few practical points:
- Stay close to 5 minutes. Rambling past it or stopping at two minutes both look careless.
- Be specific about the university. "ITB is a good university" says nothing. Name the program and explain what you want from it.
- Give a real reason for Indonesia. Reviewers can tell when Indonesia is a fallback.
- Check the upload settings so reviewers can actually open the link.
Clear audio and a quiet room matter more than editing. A genuine, well-organized video beats a flashy one.
Applying on the portal and the selection stages
Once you have the embassy letter, download the KNB Offering Letter and official guideline from the portal if you have not already, then apply online at the KNB portal with every document uploaded. Selection runs in four stages: administrative screening, academic review, an online interview, and a psychological test.
A practical tip on order: download the Offering Letter and guideline as soon as the portal opens. The embassy asks for the Offering Letter in your request, and you need it again for the online form.
How the last cycle ran, month by month
| Stage | Dates (2026 cycle) |
|---|---|
| Application opens | February 2, 2026 |
| Application deadline | March 31, 2026 |
| Embassy verification | April 6-17, 2026 |
| Directorate verification | April 20-30, 2026 |
| Academic selection | May 4 to June 12, 2026 |
| Results announced | June 19, 2026 |
| Re-registration | June 22-26, 2026 |
These dates belong to the 2026 cycle. The scholarship typically opens around February, so use this table as a guide to the rhythm and confirm the new dates on the official portal. Note that embassy verification happens again after the deadline, so stay reachable by phone and email through April.
Mistakes that sink otherwise strong KNB applications
- Starting the embassy process late. This is the most common way people miss KNB entirely.
- Assuming English-medium means no language year. It does not.
- Leaving the medical tests to the last fortnight, then finding the lab cannot certify every item.
- Applying with a passport that expires before December 31, 2027.
- Treating the YouTube video as an afterthought.
- Picking a university without checking that your program is on that cycle's list. The full list of participating universities and programs is published on the portal each cycle.
Once you are selected, the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad also coordinates student visa (KITAS/student permit) matters for Pakistani applicants. In Jakarta, the Embassy of Pakistan at 53 Jl. Teuku Umar, Menteng, Jakarta 10350 (phone +62-21-3143212, mofa.gov.pk/indonesia) handles attestation, passport renewal and emergencies for Pakistani students. If you are comparing options, see all Indonesia scholarships.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pakistani students apply for KNB?
KNB is open to students from developing countries with diplomatic relations with Indonesia, and Pakistani applicants obtain their recommendation letter from the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad. Ask the embassy about Pakistan's quota for the current cycle.
Do I need the embassy letter before applying online?
Yes. Applications without the Indonesian Embassy Recommendation Letter are not accepted. Contact the embassy as early as possible because the process takes several weeks.
Is there an age limit for Master's or PhD applicants?
The stated age limit is for Bachelor's applicants: a maximum of 21 years by December 31, 2026. No limit for postgraduate levels is listed, so check the official guideline for the current cycle.
Can I bring my family?
No. KNB holders cannot sponsor family members, and marriage is not permitted during the scholarship period.
Do I have to learn Indonesian if my program is in English?
Generally yes. The Darmasiswa language course of 6 to 12 months is required for KNB recipients, and you must show sufficient Indonesian proficiency before your degree starts.
What English score do I need?
TOEFL ITP 477, TOEFL iBT 53, IELTS 5.5 or TOEIC 510, taken within 2 years.
Before you start, read the current guideline on the official KNB portal and check our KNB scholarship page for updates.