The University of Pécs (UP) has reached another milestone in the field of international higher education relations, as it participates for the fourth time in the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) scholarship programme for excellence, launched by the Indonesian government. UP is the only Hungarian university to participate in both aspects of the programme, underlining its commitment to international cooperation. This year, 78 Indonesian students came to Pécs to spend the autumn semester at the university.
This year, the IISMA programme gave 2,700 students the opportunity to study at universities that rank highly in international higher education rankings. As a result of previous successful cooperation,
UP hosts the second largest group of students in the world.
To get into the program, the International Centre applied with the study abroad program that has been running successfully for years.
Launched by the Indonesian government in 2021,
the IISMA programme aims to give Indonesian students with the best academic results the opportunity to spend a semester at the world's leading universities,
to broaden their professional knowledge and international experience. The programme involves 161 universities from 28 countries around the world. UP's popularity among Indonesian students is growing, as evidenced by the successful partnerships: the university receives an increasing number of applicants each year.
The slogan of the excellence programme is "Be Bold to Go Abroad". The Indonesian government's goal is to have 5,000 Indonesian students with excellent academic records spending a semester in the world's leading higher education institutions within a few years. 
"I study environmental health at my home university, but here I'm enrolled in courses such as environmental conservation, sustainability, development and internal communication. I love that the university has a diverse range of faculties, that there are Hungarian and foreign students, so we have the opportunity to talk to them and share our culture, which is very valuable. I'm looking forward to meeting more people," enthused Ainun Azizah Tasmira Salwa, who chose our university because of the wide variety of courses.
IISMA consists of two programmes: the IISMA Undergraduate and the IISMA Vocational. The Undergraduate programme offers an interdisciplinary education designed to help students develop their leadership skills, multicultural knowledge, study the host culture and develop an international network. UP participates in this programme with the involvement of faculties such as the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Business and Economics, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Education and Regional Development and the Faculty of Law. Here, students can broaden their knowledge in a variety of disciplines while gaining insights into Hungarian culture and society.
The IISMA Vocational programme aims to provide students with academic knowledge as well as a work placement. UP also offers a wide range of opportunities within this scholarship programme: for example, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' "Community Development" course offers students the opportunity to work in civil communities in Pécs, while the Faculty of Health Sciences' "Health, Sport and Technology" programme offers students the chance to gain work experience at the Rátgéber Basketball Academy.
At the opening ceremony on 4 September Dr. József Betlehem, Deputy Rector of the University of Pécs, Lilla Karsay, Ambassador of Hungary to Indonesia and Dr. István Tarrósy, Director of the International Centre welcomed the Indonesian students. The students' representatives from the Undergraduate Program Team Leader Rey Sanjaya and Vocational Program Team Leader Assyifa Nasywa Kirani thanked the university for the opportunity through their presentations.
„In Asia, if there is no photo of a meeting, it never happened" - Lilla Karsay, Ambassador of Hungary to Indonesia
"As the leaders of the future, you have a unique opportunity to strengthen the ties between Hungary and Indonesia, especially in the fields of education, research and innovation," said Lilla Karsay, Ambassador of Hungary to Indonesia, before adding:
"The University of Pécs, where you will be spending the next semester, is renowned for its academic excellence, diverse programmes and friendly atmosphere. It offers not only a quality education, but also a multicultural environment where students from all over the world come together to learn, exchange ideas and build lasting relationships," encouraged the Ambassador the students.
Following the event, the Ambassador of Hungary to Indonesia held a meeting with the management of UP to discuss further opportunities for cooperation between the university and Indonesia.
The participation of UP in the Indonesian Excellence Scholarship Programme not only enhances the international reputation of the university, but also contributes to deepening cooperation with Indonesian universities. One of the strategic objectives of the University's Internationalisation Programme is to further expand its range of short-cycle foreign language courses, which is successfully supported by the Indonesian scholarship programmes.
