A total of three students from the Mechanical Design Engineering Study Program (RPM), Vocational School, Diponegoro University, succeeded in receiving the IISMA Scholarship in 2023. They are Achmad Fadhil Rasyad (Class of 2021) at Coventry University, United Kingdom, Fadhillah Raka Pratama (Class of 2021) and Julian Reihandika Purnama Satria (Class of 2020) at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.
IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards) is a scholarship scheme from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, which funds Indonesian students for a one-semester mobility program at renowned universities and leading industries abroad. IISMA offers two schemes for undergraduate and vocational students. This program will introduce Indonesian students to international academic and cultural diversity. Regarding learning, IISMA received recognition for learning achievements equivalent to 20 credits.
Specifically for vocations, IISMA collaborates with overseas campuses that collaborate with prestigious industries, such as Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and others. A variety of vocational-based programs are also presented in the form of combining classroom learning with activities in overseas industry. Of course, the destination countries that are IISMA Vocational partners are the countries with the best vocational education in the world.
For initial preparation, students found out everything about IISMA, starting from what IISMA is, the benefits they get, what registration is like, available universities and the EPT (English Proficiency Test). EPT is the first natural selection to apply for this scholarship because there is a minimum score on each test. Therefore, proficiency and skills in English can be prepared to increase the probability of passing at the initial stage. Self-value can also be increased during preparation for IISMA registration by participating in organizations, competitions or other complex skill & soft skill experiences, which can later be included in essays during the registration phase. The registration flow, document requirements and registration timeline for the IISMA scholarship need to be carefully considered and can be checked at https://iisma.kemdikbud.go.id/ for more detailed information.
The IISMA Selection Stage itself has several stages, the first being the English Proficiency Test or English language test for IISMA Vocational. Several tests can be taken, such as TOEFL iBT, TOEIC, IELTS and Duolingo, with a minimum score of TOEFL iBT (60), TOEIC (605), IELTS (6.0), Duolingo (95). After passing the English Proficiency Test score, prospective awardees can proceed to the administration stage by preparing 7 things, namely an essay, letter of recommendation from the head of the study program, proof of English test score, letter of parental approval, transcript of grades, proof of IRS, organizational & industry experience. After the file verification stage has passed, the awardee candidate will proceed to the second stage, namely the national test, which is carried out by IISMA and online. The third or final stage is an interview test, which is conducted online within 20-30 minutes using the Zoom platform.
