Jakarta. Indonesia’s state education endowment fund, known as LPDP, will cap the number of scholarship recipients at 4,000 for both 2025 and 2026, but officials insist the move is unrelated to budget efficiency measures.

Acting President Director of LPDP, Sudarto, said Thursday that the limitation follows a surge in scholarship grants over the past two years as the government sought to boost higher education participation.

“It’s not about efficiency,” Sudarto told reporters at a Finance Ministry media gathering in Bogor. “In 2023 and 2024, we deliberately expanded scholarship intake to catch up on higher education participation rates. Those years saw an exceptionally high number of awardees.”

He said the fund’s financial position remains strong, with total education endowment assets reaching Rp 154.11 trillion ($9.6 billion) as of this year. Of that, Rp 126 trillion is allocated for education scholarships, Rp 12.99 trillion for research, Rp 10 trillion for higher education, and Rp 5 trillion for cultural initiatives.

“From the funding side, we are well-prepared,” Sudarto said. “The quota of 4,000 recipients for 2025 and 2026 has been calculated in line with President Prabowo’s directives.”

The government has allocated Rp 15 trillion for LPDP postgraduate scholarships in the 2026 state budget, compared to Rp 11.85 trillion in realized spending in 2024. As of Sept. 30, 2025, LPDP’s expenditure stood at Rp 7.46 trillion.

According to Sudarto, President Prabowo Subianto has urged LPDP to ensure that its graduates deliver a greater impact on national development. To that end, the fund is collaborating with the Education Ministry, Religious Affairs Ministry, National Research and Innovation Agency, and other stakeholders to redesign the scholarship scheme. The new framework is expected to be finalized by Nov. 19.

“We’re reviewing the scheme so that LPDP graduates can make a stronger contribution,” Sudarto said. “We hope to announce the new design by November 19, allowing everyone to prepare for the next round of competition.”

LPDP data shows the program accepted 9,358 awardees in 2023 out of 33,396 applicants, and 8,592 awardees in 2024 from 52,842 applicants. For 2025, LPDP projects 4,000 awardees from a record 78,000 applicants.

As of now, 1,665 candidates have passed the first selection stage, which includes fellowship and priority programs. The second phase of selection is ongoing.

While the current intake is smaller than in recent years, Sudarto expressed optimism that the number of scholarships could rise again starting in 2027.

“Hopefully, by 2027 we’ll be able to accommodate more recipients,” he said.

Since its inception in 2013 through 2025, the LPDP Education Endowment Fund has supported 55,776 awardees, including 40,501 master’s, 11,830 doctoral, 3,388 specialist doctor, and 57 non-degree graduates.

Collaborative scholarship programs have also expanded the fund’s reach: LPDP has supported 574,878 recipients through partnerships with the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, 277 recipients under the Science and Technology Higher Education collaboration, and 40,252 recipients through the Religious Affairs Ministry.

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