Heliconia Scholarship

At private institutions, tuition fees are charged based on high school grades and the score of the admission test. A registration fee is charged at the start of the first year. The tuition fee is also recalculated every semester, based on the number of courses that the student takes. Of course we strive to let our students study at universities where the price and quality are in proportion. However, Indonesian students are often unable to choose their university, because they have to register for multiple universities at once and then go for the one where they get accepted. It is therefore difficult to estimate the tuition fees. However, we have given an indication of the average tuition fees below, and the precise expenses per student are stated in the annual financial reports.

Our cooperation partners ensure that exams, presentations, obtaining high scores, birthdays and other special moments are mentioned and celebrated in our collective chat group, so that everyone can encourage and support each other. At the start of their study, students receive a warm welcome brochure from Our Team and a Heliconia Welcome Bag, with for example Heliconia pens, a notebook, key ring, a T-shirt and drinking bottle, so that they immediately feel connected to our Heliconia Community. Our operational manager sends personal emails to our students with encouraging feedback on the progress reports that they hand in. Our cooperation partners attend graduation ceremonies and give cards and small gifts when someone has achieved milestones.

This personal support and guidance are essential for our students, because student life in Indonesia can be challenging and also much harder than in e.g. the Netherlands. Days on campus can be long, due to unexpected postponed classes. This makes planning homework, rest and other activities difficult. Study pressure can also be high, with little guidance from lecturers or student coaches. In addition, students are often encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities, which puts more pressure on. Then there is transport to and from the campus in the busy capital of Jakarta. The students have to make use of crowded, hot trains and busses that are often stuck in traffic jams, taking many hours to reach their destination. In short, studying demands a lot from students and many youngsters actually prefer to work after high school, to generate income for themselves and their families, instead of investing many years in an education. It is therefore very important that our team members and the graduates are intensively and personally involved with our students, in order to prevent dropouts and to ensure that everyone can study successfully, also when there are setbacks.