The capital of Indonesia is also one of the country's major cultural and educational centers.聽Jakarta is home to many top universities and institutions of higher learning, and every year,聽Jakarta welcomes thousands of students from around the world. Moreover, Jakarta's status as聽the country's most important聽commercial center enhances its attractiveness to aspiring聽students who seek the best opportunities in terms of education and employment.
As the administrative and economic hub of the Indonesian archipelago, Jakarta is quite聽naturally the main destination for foreigners who opt to study in Indonesia. The city has no less聽than 46 universities offering an impressive total of 532 study programs to approximately聽1,200,000 students in total. According to the latest estimates, 300,000 of them were foreigners,聽and without a doubt, most of these expat students have chosen Jakarta.
While Jakarta has several excellent universities, it is still not a renowned academic hub like聽other Southeast Asian cities such as Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Consequently, Jakarta's聽international reputation as a student city is not exactly brilliant. However, its main advantage聽over its impressive rivals is, without contest, the relatively moderate costs of its educational聽programs. On average, a year of study in Jakarta will cost between US$3,000 and US$6,100,聽whether you choose to study at a private or public university.
Above all, you should be aware that the educational system in Indonesia is not among the best聽in the world. In fact, the city only ranked 109th in the QS Ranking 2019 of the best universities聽in the world. Most of the local public universities lack recognition and generally offer courses of聽very uneven quality. On the other hand, Indonesian private universities have several聽institutions with good, and even in some cases, excellent reputations. Many of them offer聽specially designed programs for international students, but in general, you can expect to get a聽good quality education at a reasonable price if you decide to study in one of the best private聽universities in Jakarta.
Why study in Jakarta?
Besides being Indonesia's capital, Jakarta is also one of the country's main educational hubs.聽Young people from all over the country flock to the city to take advantage of this opportunity.聽Today, the Indonesian capital has some of the best universities and educational institutions in聽Indonesia.
Besides being one of the most dynamic cities in the world, Jakarta is home to many prominent聽multinational companies and organizations that heavily influence the development of the聽country's higher education institutions. The latter are constantly upgrading their programs to聽meet international standards, and consequently, some of Jakarta's universities are聽internationally acclaimed for their world-class courses led by experienced and committed聽lecturers.
Some private universities in Jakarta offer general courses, international programs and, in some聽cases, courses specifically designed for international students. Universities in Jakarta spend a聽lot of time and money to build a better international image, offering English courses and聽comprehensive study abroad programs to students from all over the world.
By deciding to study in this dynamic city, you will certainly open doors to a huge job market,聽with internship opportunities in world-class companies and, potentially, exciting openings that聽may not be available elsewhere once you graduate. Regardless of whether you want to work in聽commerce, business, finance, technology or any other sector, Jakarta is "the" place that can聽boost your future career. Moreover, knowing that Jakarta's job market is always on the lookout聽for new talent, you should have no trouble finding a job after graduation, especially if your new聽qualifications allow you to apply for an expatriate position, which is one of the most sought-after positions in Indonesia. In fact, while foreign employment remains complicated for聽companies based in Indonesia, many industries are constantly on the hunt for strong skills that聽cannot be sourced in the local labor market. If you want to know more about this, check out聽our article on work in Indonesia or our Jakarta jobs section.
The student visa in Indonesia
Before flying to Indonesia for your studies, you should apply for the appropriate visa. Be rigorous and patient, as obtaining a visa in Indonesia involves a lot of bureaucracy and tedious聽administrative procedures. To find out what steps to take, request an appointment at the聽Indonesian embassy in your home country. Once in Jakarta, you will be able to formally apply聽for a student visa, which will be valid for one year and renewable up to four times.
If you have already enrolled in an Indonesian university, the institution will be happy to help聽you secure your student visa. However, be aware that you will first need to obtain permission聽to study in Indonesia. Such permission is only issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Education,聽and when obtained, it represents the first step prior to a proper student visa. You will indeed聽have to apply for a VITAS, a visa to enter Indonesia issued by Indonesian embassies and聽consulates abroad. This document will only allow you to travel to Indonesia.
Upon arrival in Jakarta, you will be required to change your VITAS to KITAS, which is a limited聽residence permit. Then you will have to register at the nearest police station, where you will聽receive a police registration certificate. Remember to have all your information and identity聽documents with you, including your university acceptance letter, bank statement, visa,聽residence certificate, etc. Police registration is mandatory for all foreigners studying in聽Indonesia.
For more information, contact your university and/or the embassy of your country of origin.
The best universities in Jakarta
Beyond being home to Universitas Indonesia, which is regarded as the best university聽nationwide, Jakarta counts several dozen public or private universities and colleges, some of聽which are among the top 500 universities in the world. Enrollment in public universities is聽generally cheaper, ranging from IDR 2 million to IDR 7.5 million (USD 140 to 525) per semester聽compared to private universities, where one should expect to spend between IDR 5 million to聽IDR 15 million (USD 350 to 1,000) per semester. It is also worth mentioning that it is more聽challenging to get into national universities. This is because they have more rigorous and strict聽admission tests. Hereafter are some of the most prominent public universities in the Indonesian聽capital. They are equally the most popular among international students in Jakarta:
National universities in Jakarta
Universitas Indonesia, which was established in 1849, is the oldest university in the Indonesian聽archipelago and one of the oldest universities in the entire East Asian subcontinent. In 2022,聽the university ranked 290th in the QS Rankings of the world's best universities and 59th in聽Asia's best universities. This institution, located in Depok, Jakarta metropolitan area, has the聽largest library in Southeast Asia, with no less than 1.5 million listed books. The venerable聽institution underwent major changes in 2007, moving to a much more research-oriented focus聽and including more study programs open to, and even specifically designed for foreigners. UI聽also offers a variety of programs in natural sciences, medicine, technology, social and political聽sciences, economics and humanities, as well as professional training programs. With high-quality courses and lecturers, UI is considered one of the best universities in Indonesia. It聽attracts students from all over the world every year. Universitas Indonesia is nowadays聽considered the second best university in Indonesia, after Gadjah Mada University, located in聽Yogyakarta.
Bogor Agricultural University, or IPB University
As its name already suggests, Bogor Agricultural University focuses primarily on teaching聽agricultural practices and techniques. With its modern and scientific approach, IPB University is聽known for its inclination for innovation. For ten years in a row, from 2008 to 2018, the聽institution has been cited as the most innovative university in Indonesia. In 2022, Bogor is聽ranked 101st among the top universities in Asia. With its five campuses, digital library, 385聽laboratories and numerous study programs, this university is also one of the best equipped in聽Indonesia.
Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ)
is located in East Jakarta. UNJ is known for its modern teaching聽methods, its investment in research and its focus on science. It is one of the best universities in聽Jakarta. The most popular courses are related to teaching and education, perfect if you want to聽pursue a career in this sector.
Private universities in Jakarta
Bina Nusantara University (Binus)聽
is the only private university in Indonesia to be listed in the top 500聽universities in the world. Binus is scattered over several locations, including the three main聽campuses in West Jakarta and Alam Sutera, which is part of the Jakarta metropolitan area.
Binus is famous for its world-class courses in computer science and information systems, but it聽also offers courses in business, economics, hospitality and humanities. It offers 100% English聽courses and specially designed study programs for international students.
Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia
Also located in West Jakarta, is well known in Jakarta. Although not as聽popular amongst international students, it offers bespoke courses, free Indonesian language聽classes, and a well-designed curriculum to ensure a smooth transition for international students聽in Jakarta.
The most popular study programs at Atma Jaya are accounting, law and finance, but you can聽study science, medicine, engineering, social policy, technology or languages there if you wish.
Prasetiya Mulya University (Prasmul)
Located in Tangerang, in the greater Jakarta metropolitan area, is聽considered the best business and management university in Indonesia. Most of Prasmul's聽students are among the top entrepreneurs and business owners in Indonesia.
In addition to business and management, Prasmul is also famous for its accounting and聽marketing study programs. Starting in 2018, Prasmul now also features programs in science, technology, engineering and law.
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
