Fulbright, Don't Miss It

On February 12, 2025, the academic community in the United States received shocking news. The U.S. Department of State announced that all funding for foreign education programs would be suspended for 15 days.

The program includes providing scholarships for U.S. students to study abroad or for foreign students and professionals to study in the U.S. The Fulbright Scholarship is one of those affected.

In early March, a new announcement was issued by the U.S. State Department, and it was less than encouraging. All foreign scholarship programs from the U.S. Government have been frozen for up to 90 days or until April 19, 2025. The reason is that Washington, D.C. wants to focus all available funds on domestic interests within the United States.

According to ICEF Monitor, an international education industry research firm, more than 10,000 students have been affected by the suspension of Fulbright. They include 3,500 U.S. students studying abroad and 7,400 foreign students residing in the U.S.

Fulbright is the oldest international scholarship program in the world and has been running for 73 years. In Indonesia, Fulbright has been present since 1952. There are 3,356 alumni of this program in Indonesia, ranging from Agus Salim to Anies Baswedan.

In Indonesia, Fulbright is managed by the American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation (Aminef). Aminef Executive Director Sandra Hamid, Friday (14/3/2025), explained that there are 191 Indonesian students in the U.S. who are affected. They are recipients of Fulbright scholarships for the academic years 2022-2024.

"In February, Aminef was informed that the March scholarship funds would be sent in stages without any details on the amount," said Sandra. Most of the funds sent were intended to cover expenses for one week.

This is concerning because the weekly allowance is insufficient to pay for housing rent. Many students have expressed their concerns to Aminef. Aminef has also coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to "collaborate" on providing emergency funds.

The March fee has been disbursed, but there is no clarity regarding the April fee. Therefore, Aminef relaxed the rules. Students are allowed to work part-time to meet their living needs.

“At least, at Fulbright, there has been no news that funding will be removed, stopped, or cut,” Sandra said.

"The importance of Fulbright in Indonesia goes beyond the academic sector. It is part of soft, direct, and impactful diplomacy for Indonesia and the US," said Djayadi Hanan, a Fulbright alumnus from 2007-2012, in Jakarta, Monday (10/3/2025).

The Head of the Doctoral Program in Political Science at the International Islamic University of Indonesia said that the advantage of Fulbright over other scholarship programs is its extensive and established global network.

In addition to scholarships for students, there are also scholarships for professionals in strategic fields. Journalists, teachers, activists, and politicians can all be touched by this program.

"This has a big impact on the socio-political life of the community. Alumni are a real bridge for inter-sectoral or bilateral cooperation between the US and Indonesia," said Djayadi.

Fulbright alumni are field diplomats in their communities. People in their personal and professional communities see firsthand the benefits the program has for nation-building.

"Maybe the US thinks that public diplomacy is no longer important and everything is seen from an economic plus-minus perspective," said Djayadi.

If Fulbright is lost, Djayadi continued, it will reduce the US geopolitical influence in Indonesia and the world. Moreover, in the academic world, it is important for universities to have many foreign students.

This is a sign that the university is relevant in the international world. The presence of foreign students also triggers research, innovation, and updating of study programs. "The knowledge produced is increasingly profound, even pioneering in new fields. This has an impact on the progress of the country if it has many international universities," said Djayadi.

Baskara Wardaya, a Fulbright alumnus, added that the Fulbright program requires its alumni to return home to develop their respective homelands. They believe that this international insight must be able to contribute to the local community.

Member of Commission X of the House of Representatives, Bonnie Triyana, said it would be ashame if the US Government decides to discontinue Fulbright. However, she understood that it was a country's prerogative. Indonesia could not interfere in the decision.

In this case, Indonesia learned that the US government under President Donald Trump is unpredictable. According to Bonnie, what Indonesia can do is control the damage (damage control).

"We have to make sure that these Fulbright students don't drop out. The country has to prepare for the worst," Bonnie said.

Overseas scholarship program implementers usually have an emergency funding system. However, that doesn't mean the government is letting go. Don't let students who are already in the thesis or dissertation stage have to go home.

Bonnie said the Ministry of Higher Education must record the names of students affected. The data must also be detailed, including how far along their studies are.

"We have to find alternatives to take over the costs of their studies and living in other countries," Bonnie said.