Dutch universities on tour in Indonesia
From 29 October to 6 November eighteen Dutch higher education institutions met with around 12,000 prospective students from Indonesia at various events in Yogyakarta, Semarang, Jakarta and Medan. Indonesia is increasingly offering opportunities for student recruitment and institutional cooperation, due to its rapid economic growth and the priority given to internationalisation of higher education.
Placement day
For the first time Nuffic Neso Indonesia organised Dutch placement days in Yogyakarta at Universitas Gadjah Mada and in Jakarta at the Erasmushuis. A placement day is a mini fair (three hours in duration) where students are invited to come along with their paperwork and discuss their eligibility for admission with the Dutch representatives.
The targeted promotion beforehand led to around 1,000 prospective students in both cities, who were more focused in their interest than the average fair visitor. We will further develop the placement day format and, looking at the level of satisfaction among participating institutions, it should be back on the agenda for next year.
Diversity in Semarang
This year's Holland Education Fair, which had 783 visitors, took the Dutch delegation to Semarang, the capital of Central Java. We targeted this city was targeted because of its mix of prospective bachelor’s, master’s and PhD students and the relatively high percentage of self-financed students.
This diversity makes it an interesting market for both universities of applied sciences and research universities. We have prepared a factsheet with the market data on Semarang and recommendations regarding the marketing mix, which you can from our market information web pages (login required).
EHEF fairs
The final events of the tour were the European Higher Education Fairs in Jakarta (8,876 visitors) and Medan (1,173 visitors). Especially Jakarta proved again to be a very successful event. In addition to all the promotion events Nuffic Neso Indonesia organised meetings between Dutch higher education institutions and agents, facilitated in setting up meetings and presentations and co-hosted an event with the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta for representatives of the Dutch institutions and Holland Alumni.
For more advice and support on your efforts in Indonesia please feel free to contact Neso director Mervin Bakker. You can find his contact details on the website of Neso Indonesia.