Assessing Long-term Impact: USAID/Indonesia Scholarship Programs

Through the USAID Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) program and the Program to Extend Scholarships and Training to Achieve Sustainable Impacts (PRESTASI), USAID/Indonesia provided scholarships to 357 Indonesians from 2006 through 2020. An additional 1,280 Indonesians participated in short-term training programs with USAID PRESTASI support. Scholarship recipients pursued U.S. graduate degrees in the fields of Economics, Education, Environment, Democracy and Human Rights, and Health, and received supplemental training in areas such as English language proficiency and leadership development. In these ways, the HICD and PRESTASI programs expanded scholarships into programs that contributed to the holistic education of each scholar and equipped scholars with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to contribute to the continuing development of Indonesia.

International Institute of Education undertook an independent study to assess the long-term impact of USAID-funded scholarship programs on scholars professional and personal lives upon their return to their home country. As part of this effort, IIE reached out to scholars who participated in the Indonesia HICD Program (2006-2011) and its follow-on, the PRESTASI program (2011 – 2020).