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Schedule a meeting now! Get advice from our admission expert Katharina. Request a spot in our meeting hub and we will call you back!
Refer a friend - Save 100€! Refer a friend, enroll together for this summer school, and save both 100 Euro! Refer a friend!
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Schedule a meeting now! Get advice from our admission expert Katharina. Request a spot in our meeting hub and we will call you back!
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Upskill Study Program Expands
Academic Collaboration with Airlangga University
3 minutes reading
Since 2017, Upskill Study Program has worked alongside Indonesian universities to develop academically grounded international education experiences that connect classroom learning with real-world context. What began through long-term collaboration with Udayana University in Bali has gradually expanded into a broader vision: creating meaningful study opportunities across Indonesia’s diverse academic, cultural, and regional landscapes.
Today, we are pleased to announce the beginning of a new collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga, one of Indonesia’s leading universities and among the most internationally recognised institutions in Southeast Asia.
This development marks an important milestone in Upskill’s continued commitment to creating high-quality international programs that are academically rigorous, culturally relevant, and deeply rooted in place.
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Laura Korwa, Study Program Manager at Upskill Study Program, during an initiation meeting with Dr. Noerhayati Ika Putri, M.A., Coordinator of the Master’s Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga. The meeting explored opportunities for future collaboration in international education, including the development of humanities-based academic programs for international students in Surabaya
Why Surabaya?
When international students consider studying in Indonesia, destinations such as Bali, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, and Bandung often dominate the conversation. Each city offers a unique perspective on the country, shaped by its own history, culture, and social dynamics.
Surabaya offers something equally valuable, yet often overlooked.
As Indonesia’s second-largest city and the capital of East Java, Surabaya occupies a central position in the country’s historical, economic, and cultural development. Its growth as one of Southeast Asia’s major port cities has connected communities, languages, religions, and traditions for centuries. Research on the city’s urban development demonstrates how Surabaya evolved through maritime trade networks, colonial administration, migration, and industrialisation, creating a complex social and cultural landscape that continues to shape the city today (Hartono & Handinoto, 2007).
For students of history, language, literature, anthropology, cultural studies, and Southeast Asian societies, Surabaya provides a living laboratory.
Historic districts such as Kota Lama, Chinatown, the Arab Quarter, and heritage neighbourhoods like Kampung Peneleh reveal layers of interaction between local communities and global influences. These spaces offer opportunities to explore questions of identity, memory, migration, heritage, and social change in ways that cannot be fully understood through textbooks alone.
Surabaya also occupies a unique place within Indonesia’s national narrative. Known as the City of Heroes, it remains deeply connected to the events of 10 November 1945 and Indonesia’s struggle for independence. The city therefore offers an important setting for examining nationalism, civic identity, collective memory, and the continuing relationship between history and contemporary society.
At the same time, Surabaya is not merely a city of the past. It is a thriving centre of education, industry, creative production, and urban development. The British Council identifies Surabaya as one of Indonesia’s major educational and cultural hubs, home to a substantial student population and a growing creative economy (British Council Indonesia, 2021).
This combination of historical significance, cultural diversity, and contemporary relevance makes Surabaya an exceptional destination for international education.
Why Airlangga University?
Selecting the right academic partner is one of the most important decisions in developing international programs.
Founded in 1954, Universitas Airlangga has established itself as one of Indonesia’s most respected public universities. Today, it consistently ranks among the country’s leading higher education institutions and continues to strengthen its position internationally.
According to the QS World University Rankings 2026, Universitas Airlangga is ranked among the top universities globally and remains one of Indonesia’s highest-ranked institutions. The university has also developed an extensive international network through student mobility programs, research collaborations, international scholarships, and partnerships with institutions around the world.
For Upskill Study Indonesia, these achievements matter because they reflect more than rankings alone. They demonstrate a commitment to academic quality, international engagement, institutional development, and long-term investment in global education.
Equally important is the university’s willingness to develop programs that connect international students with Indonesian society beyond the classroom. This philosophy aligns closely with our own approach to international education, which values contextual learning, interdisciplinary inquiry, and meaningful engagement with local communities.
Why the Faculty of Humanities?
Among the many strengths of Universitas Airlangga, the Faculty of Humanities represents a particularly exciting opportunity.
The faculty brings together expertise across Indonesian Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Japanese Studies, History, Cultural Studies, and Linguistics. These disciplines provide an ideal foundation for international students seeking a deeper understanding of Indonesia and Southeast Asia through language, culture, identity, history, and social transformation.
Humanities education has an increasingly important role to play in a world shaped by global mobility, intercultural communication, technological change, and shifting cultural landscapes. Understanding a society requires more than technical knowledge. It requires the ability to interpret stories, understand historical context, engage with different perspectives, and navigate cultural complexity.
The Faculty of Humanities offers precisely this perspective.
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The Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya. Home to scholars, researchers, and educators dedicated to advancing the study of language, culture, history, literature, and society. A place where academic inquiry meets cultural understanding.
As part of this collaboration, Upskill Study Indonesia and the Faculty of Humanities are currently exploring the development of new international programs designed specifically for students interested in Southeast Asian studies, language, culture, history, literature, and society.
These programs will combine academic teaching with field-based learning, encouraging students to engage directly with the people, places, histories, and cultural practices that shape contemporary Indonesia.
For universities, study abroad providers, and international education partners, this collaboration represents an opportunity to access one of Indonesia’s leading universities through programs that are academically credible, operationally practical, and deeply connected to local context.
For students, it offers something equally valuable: the opportunity to encounter Indonesia through one of its most influential cities and one of its most respected universities.
More information about upcoming programs and academic opportunities with Universitas Airlangga will be announced soon.
By LK
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