In 2010, President Obama and President Yudhoyono announced a Higher Education Partnership in which the United States committed more than $165 million over five years to expand significantly the number of students and scholars studying and researching in one another’s country, and to strengthen educational quality through increased collaboration and partnership.

Fulbright Program
The Department of State has increased its funding for the binational Fulbright Program to support nearly 300 participants per year, making it one of the largest Fulbright programs in the world.  Under Fulbright, the U.S. government has committed $15 million for a new five year Fulbright Indonesia Research, Science, and Technology Program—or FIRST Program—to support U.S. and Indonesian students and scholars to study, teach, and conduct research in priority science and technology fields. 

Community College Initiative
The Department of State has significantly scaled up its Community College Initiative Program with Indonesia, supporting 50 Indonesian students each year from underserved sectors for specialized non-degree certificate study at U.S. community colleges. The Department of State is also bringing 20 Indonesian faculty and administrators per year from Indonesian technical and vocational training institutions for one-year professional development programs at U.S. community colleges. 

Study Abroad
The Department of State is supporting 25 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students each year to study Bahasa Indonesia in intensive summer institutes under its Critical Language Scholarship Program. The Department of State has made Gilman Scholarship recipients, who are undergraduate Americans participating in study abroad, eligible for Critical Language Supplemental Scholarships to support enhanced Bahasa Indonesian language learning.  The Department of State is supporting a two-year project to increase the local capacity of Indonesian institutions to host Americans in Indonesia, and is coordinating with the Indonesian government to expand U.S. student participation in the Indonesian government-supported Darmasiswa scholarships for study in Indonesia.

English Language Programs
The Department of State is doubling to 400 the number of new English Access Microscholarships awarded each year to bright, disadvantaged 14-18 year old Indonesian students for two years of quality after-school English language instruction.  It is also doubling the number of E-Teacher Scholarships awarded for online university level professional development courses for Indonesian teachers, and is supporting the largest English Language Fellow Program in the world in Indonesia. The Peace Corps is increasing its support for English teaching, and by 2012 will have nearly tripled the number of Volunteers serving in Indonesian schools since Peace Corps returned to Indonesia in 2010.

University Partnerships and Capacity Building
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting U.S. and Indonesian higher education institutions to collaborate to improve the quality of teaching and research and to contribute to developing the capacity of Indonesian institutions in critical fields of mutual interest. USAID has announced seven university partnerships of the 25 it plans to award over five years. USAID is also partnering with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide 20 or more grants to Indonesian scientists working with U.S. researchers through the new Partners for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Project.  In addition, USAID’s Higher Education Leadership, Management, and Policy program will help the Indonesian Ministry of Education introduce quality assurance systems and enhance the efficiency of the use of resources.

EducationUSA
EducationUSA advising provides Indonesian students with accurate, objective and comprehensive information about opportunities for study in the United States, including financial aid. The Department of State is upgrading the EducationUSA website, expanding and distributing educational marketing materials in Bahasa Indonesia, developing a mobile advising function to provide services to underserved and high traffic locations, and creating a "virtual consulting" office to provide assistance to student and parents in Bahasa. The Department of State is also supporting the up-front costs for talented, disadvantaged students to apply to study in the United States through its Opportunity Program.