fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

Factors influencing destination choice for Indonesian students

With its massive, youthful population and burgeoning economy, Indonesia has long been considered a student recruitment market with great potential for growth. And indeed even conservative estimates point to steady increases in Indonesian outbound over the last several years.

But those recent trends also suggest that Indonesians are considering a wider range of study abroad destinations, including Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, and China. Those regional options are now competing for a greater share of the Indonesian market alongside traditional favourites such as the United States and Australia.

Jony Liem is a Jakarta-based director with Asian Excel Education Link (Axel). In the following interview excerpts, he expands on some of the factors that influence destination choice for Indonesian students and sets out some of the other trends that are shaping this important Southeast Asian market.

In our second interview segment below, Mr Liem highlights the economic and political climate in the country as some of the important underlying factors that are driving demand for study abroad. Many Indonesian students, he explains, will prioritise destinations that offer opportunities for students to work during and after their studies.

Looking ahead to career concerns, he notes as well the growing influence of the Chinese economy and a corresponding increase in Chinese language studies – along with increasing scholarships for study in China – as important reasons for China’s growing popularity as a study destination.

“The most popular [programme of study for Indonesian students] actually is still in business,” says Mr Liem. “The second [most popular] is technology…everybody is now talking about artificial intelligence so [many students] want to study that too.”

In our next interview excerpt below, Mr Liem expands on the fields of study that are most in demand and some of the new programmes that are getting more attention among Indonesian students today.

Our final video segment sets out some recommended strategies for institutions and schools that are planning to begin or expand recruiting activities in Indonesia.

Keeping in mind that Indonesia is the world’s fourth most-populous country, and the largest island nation (with more than 17,000 islands all told), targeted recruitment efforts are especially key. Mr Liem recommends that educators concentrate their efforts, “Definitely in Jakarta, the second [city to target] would be Surabaya, and the third Medan. Those are the three cities that you can focus on.”

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • US signals new scrutiny of student visas amid reports of softening demand from foreign students Read More
  • Taiwan is close to reaching its pre-pandemic benchmark for international enrolment Read More
  • UK ELT reports a decline in student weeks for 2024 Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US signals new scrutiny of student visas amid reports of softening demand from foreign students Student surveys conducted earlier this quarter highlight an overall positive disposition among international students towards studying in the...
Read more
Taiwan is close to reaching its pre-pandemic benchmark for international enrolment Taiwan is steadily increasing the number of international students it hosts in its colleges and universities. In 2024,...
Read more
UK ELT reports a decline in student weeks for 2024 English UK, the peak body for English-language teaching (ELT) in the UK, has released full-year data for 2024...
Read more
What is happening with Indian enrolments abroad this year? Just a couple of years ago, Indian students were flocking to a number of attractive study abroad destinations,...
Read more
Full-year data highlights decline in foreign enrolment in UK universities in 2023/24 For the first time in ten years, the total number of students enrolled in UK universities fell in...
Read more
Analysis shows impact of immigration settings on international tuition fees at Australian universities Keri Ramirez, managing director of sector data specialist Studymove, hosted a fascinating webinar recently that looked at the...
Read more
US: Trump administration actions creating an uncertain outlook for international students So far this year, research indicates that international students still have a mainly positive view of study in...
Read more
Germany recovers an 8x return on investment in international students A new analysis from the German Economic Institute (IW), and commissioned by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links