What each programme's page says, side by side
There is no single IELTS score for Indonesian scholarships. Each scheme sets its own figure, often by programme track or applicant group, and a figure can change over time. The table sets out what the pages below said when they were read on 24 October 2026. Scores differ by programme and can change: read the programme page. This page is not scholarship, admission or visa advice, and it quotes no exam fee or test date.
Band Booster IELTS is a private one-to-one tutoring service. It is not a test centre, it does not register anyone for IELTS or for a scholarship, and it has no connection with LPDP, Australia Awards, Chevening, IDP, the British Council or any university.
| Programme or track | Source page | IELTS figure shown |
|---|---|---|
| LPDP, STEM for Strategic Industries: master's | IDP Indonesia's article on LPDP | 6.0 for a degree in Indonesia, 6.5 abroad |
| LPDP, STEM for Strategic Industries: doctorate | IDP Indonesia's article on LPDP | 6.0 for a degree in Indonesia, 7.0 abroad |
| LPDP, Ulama cadre programme | IDP Indonesia's article on LPDP | 4.5 for a master's, 5.0 for a doctorate |
| LPDP, specialist and sub-specialist doctors | IDP Indonesia's article on LPDP | 5.5 |
| LPDP, in general | IDP Indonesia's study page for Indonesians | Minimum 6.5; some programmes 7.0 or higher |
| Australia Awards in Indonesia: Government of Indonesia PhD and Masters | Australia Awards in Indonesia, PhD and Masters general requirements | 6.0 |
| Australia Awards in Indonesia: Masters, equity target groups | The same page | 4.5 |
| Australia Awards in Indonesia: PhD, non-targeted | The same page | 6.5 |
| LPDP-Australia Awards Scholarships | Its own general-requirements page on the Australia Awards in Indonesia site | 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 |
| Australia Awards Garuda Scholarships (a separate scheme) | Its own general-requirements page | 5.5 (Garuda only) |
| Chevening | Chevening's FAQ | No IELTS figure: the FAQ says the English language requirement was removed in 2020 |
LPDP, as summarised by IDP Indonesia
These are IDP Indonesia's words, not LPDP's. LPDP's own website could not be opened when this page was prepared on 24 October 2026, so this section rests on two IDP Indonesia pages. IDP's article on LPDP carries a byline date of 26/05/2023 yet says its figures follow LPDP's 2026 registration guide. Treat it as a pointer, and read LPDP's current guide before you book a test.
The figures, track by track
IDP's article on minimum English scores for LPDP, in Indonesian, sets out figures by programme track with columns for several tests. This page reports only the IELTS column, for the tracks named here:
- STEM for Strategic Industries. Master's: IELTS 6.0 for a degree in Indonesia and 6.5 for one abroad. Doctorate: 6.0 in Indonesia and 7.0 abroad.
- Ulama cadre programme. Much lower minimums: IELTS 4.5 for a master's and 5.0 for a doctorate.
- Specialist and sub-specialist doctors. IELTS 5.5.
The article lists other tracks as well, so read it in full for yours. Across the three tracks above the IELTS figure runs from 4.5 to 7.0, which means a figure quoted for one track may not apply to another.
IDP's study page gives a shorter answer
IDP Indonesia's IELTS-for-study page for Indonesians says the LPDP minimum is IELTS 6.5, and that some programmes may ask for 7.0 or higher. That does not match a track-by-track article that starts at 4.5, and this page cannot reconcile the two. Taken together, IDP's pages show a spread rather than one number, so LPDP's guide has to settle which figure is yours.
How recent the result must be
IDP's article sets a two-year rule that links the English certificate to the scholarship application year. Its Indonesian wording is awkward, so this page cannot be sure how the two years are counted. Our reading is that the certificate should have been issued no more than two years before the application year, but that is a reading, not a rule confirmed by IDP or LPDP: check how LPDP's guide counts the two years. Decide which application year you are aiming for first, then check your test date against the rule.
Australia Awards in Indonesia
The site australiaawardsindonesia.org says Australia Awards in Indonesia is managed by Tetra Tech International Development, on behalf of the Australian Government. This page calls it simply Australia Awards in Indonesia, and Band Booster has no connection with it. The site keeps separate general-requirements pages for different schemes, and they do not all say the same thing.
PhD and Masters
On its PhD and Masters general-requirements page, the IELTS figure depends on the group an applicant belongs to. The page shows IELTS 6.0 for Government of Indonesia PhD and Masters, IELTS 4.5 for Masters in the equity target groups and IELTS 6.5 for non-targeted PhD. Its table gives figures for the other combinations of award type and group too, so read the table itself rather than relying on these three.
The page also says that no other English language test, including the TOEFL prediction test, will be accepted. Check which tests it names before you book any test. It also sets cut-off dates for results and tests. This page prints none of them, because such dates can change and the two date lines on the page do not read clearly together: read the page as it stands when you apply.
LPDP-Australia Awards Scholarships
This scheme has its own general-requirements page, which sits on the Australia Awards in Indonesia site and is separate from the LPDP figures summarised by IDP above. It asks for IELTS 6.5 with no band less than 6.0. That is two conditions at once: the overall score and each of the four skill scores. A result of 6.5 overall with one skill at 5.5 would not meet it. The IELTS band score calculator shows how four skill scores average into an overall band.
Australia Awards Garuda Scholarships: a separate scheme
The Garuda scheme has its own general-requirements page, which gives IELTS 5.5. That figure belongs to Garuda only. It is not a general Australia Awards minimum, and it should not be set beside the PhD, Masters or LPDP-Australia Awards figures as if the schemes were interchangeable.
Chevening
Chevening's FAQ on its English language requirement says the Chevening English language requirement was removed in 2020. The FAQ gives no IELTS figure, so the table shows none. That sentence is about Chevening's own rule. It does not tell you what the university you apply to asks for, and that is a separate rule: read your chosen university's English page, and Chevening's own pages for the current position.
Reading the figures across schemes
A scholarship's English rule, a visa's English rule and a university's admission requirement are three different things; IELTS scores for study abroad explains how visa rules and university rules differ. Points to watch across the scholarship pages above:
- Overall or every skill. IELTS scores run from 0 to 9 in half-band steps, and the overall band is the average of the four skills, rounded to the nearest half band. A rule such as "6.5 with no band less than 6.0" sets two conditions, so your weakest skill matters as much as the average.
- Track and group. IDP's summary of LPDP splits its figures by track, and the Australia Awards PhD and Masters page splits them by group. Find your own row before you set a target.
- How recent the result is. Many institutions treat an IELTS result as valid for two years, but each scheme and each university sets its own rule. IDP's LPDP article mentions a two-year limit linked to the application year, and the Australia Awards PhD and Masters page sets its own cut-off dates. Choose your test date after you know the rule.
- Academic or General Training. This page does not say which version a scheme accepts. Ask the scheme, and see IELTS Academic vs General Training.
- A minimum is only a minimum. Reaching a figure does not mean you will be selected or admitted. This page says nothing about selection, and no scholarship outcome is tied to a band here.
Before you book a test
- Open the page for your own scheme and track from the links above, and note the IELTS figure, whether it also sets a figure for every skill, and any rule on how recent the result must be.
- For LPDP, read LPDP's current guide as well as IDP's summary. For Australia Awards in Indonesia, read the page for your award type and group. For Chevening, read your chosen university's English page.
- Work back from the application year and the recency rule to a test date, and leave some room in your plan in case your first result is below the figure.
- Book the test with a test provider, not with Band Booster. Booking IELTS in Indonesia covers ID, test day and changing a date as IDP Indonesia describes them, and IELTS test venues in Indonesia shows what IDP's list and the ielts.org finder show about where to sit it.
Where one-to-one lessons with Mike fit
Once you know the figure your scheme or track asks for, lessons can work towards it. Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA (July 2017), teaches every session himself from Hanoi, live on Google Meet in English, and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS; About Mike has more. A session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3), with feedback during the session. Writing is marked against the public band descriptors; see IELTS Writing feedback and IELTS Speaking coaching.
General teaching advice, not from any scheme: if your target sets a floor for every skill, start with your weakest one. Write a Task 1 and a Task 2 answer within one 60-minute sitting, and practise the Speaking Part 2 long turn with the Speaking Part 2 timer between lessons.
Lessons cannot change a scheme's rules, choose your track or decide whether a particular result is accepted; those belong to the scheme and the test provider. There is no fixed course, and no band, outcome or timeline is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions. The booking page shows each slot in your own time zone and your price in your own currency before you pay (usually rupiah for visitors in Indonesia), although a PayPal payment is charged in US dollars. A paid 30-minute trial is available once, on a first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session. Prices, payment and time zones are covered on the Indonesia page, and there is a page for Surabaya.