Youth of Yogyakarta and surroundings showed high enthusiasm for pursuing their study abroad by visiting LPDP EduFair 2017 at Sportorium of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY). Director of Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Mokhamad Mahdum informed that 18 thousand people registering online on the LPDP website came to the LPDP EduFair 2017.

“LPDP parties are glad to see the enthusiasm at this LPDP EduFair in Yogyakarta. The number of visitors in Jakarta was 21 thousand people, and in Jogjakarta it can reach 18 thousand visitors,” stated Mahdum in an interview on Saturday (4/2).

That the number of LPDP applicants gets greater each year raises the competitiveness to achieve the scholarship. Mahdum told that the idea to achieve scholarship is not dealing with how to get the scholarship, but it is about the number of competitors applying LPDP. “LPDP only provides scholarship for 5000 of thousands of applicants each year. Besides, most of the applicants are from Java,” Mahdum maintained.

He inserted that to gain the scholarship, the applicants are required to meet academic requirements such as foreign language proficiency and Grade Point Average (GPA). They also should prepare in which university they will pursue their study. “Besides, they should know this vision, for instance why they are eager to study in Australia, and how it will benefit Indonesia. I am afraid that they study at a university, but they cannot benefit others because LPDP is the scholarship from the government. Thus, I wish that that LPDP awardees can contribute to this country,” Mahdum expected.

Additionally, the LPDP EduFair was conducted in three cities of Indonesia. First, it was organized at Danapala Building, Ministry of Finance Jakarta on January 31. Second, it was held at Airlangga Convention Center on February 2. Third, it was carried out at Sportorium of UMY. Mahdum believed that the LPDP EduFair will assist students to find information of scholarship and universities in Indonesia and abroad.

Meanwhile, in an interview, a student of Department of Geology of University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) Dita Wulan Sari said that the LPDP EduFair is beneficial for everyone who wants to explore the targeted universities. “This event is valuable for the ones who are eager to gain scholarship and get information of universities overseas,” expressed Dita who are interested to pursue her master’s degree at Edinburg University.