Various campuses in the continent of Europe have always been a target for Indonesian students who are interested in continuing their studies abroad. In addition to the excellent quality of education, the large number of scholarships offered by local governments and private institutes is a lucrative attraction, one of which comes from the Swedish Government.
Each year, 70 international students are given the opportunity to study in the country located in the northern part of the European continent. The offer applies to students from all over the world, including Indonesia. Not only limited to educational and research activity assistance, but they also accommodate the living cost up to the health insurance coverage during the study period.
“The Swedish government is very concerned with education. Most of the state budget allocation is given to research activities, especially those that lead to the sustainability development. Including providing scholarships for international students,” said Titi Holmgren from Nordic Student Service while providing tips and tricks to continue the study in Sweden in the Multimedia Room, UGM Central Building, Wednesday (2/5).
In front of 30 UGM students, Titi revealed several scholarship programs that can be utilized, among them are from Swedish Institute, Swedish Universities, Erasmus Mundus, and EIT Grant which is specialized for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) study field. There is also a scholarship program for renewable energy development through the KIC innoenergy Scholarship at KTH Royal Institute, Stockholm.
The scholarship program from the Swedish Government can be an alternative to those from the Indonesian government, such as Kemenristekdikti (Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education) Scholarship and LPDP.
According to Titi, the administration of scholarships in Sweden is not as complicated as it is in Indonesia. Scholarship applicants do not have to take a series of selection tests or interviews. Applicants are only required to collect files such as curriculum vitae, recommendation letter, motivation letter, and leadership experience through the official scholarship page and not to forget the passport attachment as a personal data.
“The end of the process, applicants must have a Letter of Admission from the desired study program as the main requirement to get the scholarship,” added Titi.
Besides the various scholarships available, another benefit of continuing study in Sweden, according to Titi, is the conducive and ideal environmental conditions for the learning process. Strong international climate also makes students from various countries do not experience problems in communicating in Sweden. This is because most of the country’s population in this Scandinavian peninsula can communicate in English.
In addition, the presence of several major technology companies such as Ericsson, Spotify, Skype, and Electrolux can also be used for research collaboration as well as increasing experience working in international companies. [Eggy/Farah]