On 5-6 February 2026, the Cross Cultural Understanding (CCU) Orientation and Welcome Event was held by the International Undergraduate Program (IUP) of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada. The event was organized to welcome incoming exchange students for the even semester of the 2025/2026 academic year and to support their academic and cultural adjustment in Yogyakarta.

In total, the program welcomed ten exchange students from various partner universities, including the University of Groningen, Saxion University, the University of Birmingham, Warwick University, and several others. Through a combination of academic briefings and cultural activities, CCU aimed to introduce Indonesian culture, particularly the local context of Yogyakarta, so that students could minimize culture shock and adapt comfortably during their study period.

For many students, learning is usually conducted inside the classroom. But for Radya Nasywa Zahira, joining the SMI Youth Exchange Singapore–Malaysia–Thailand opened the door to lessons that stretched across borders, cultures, and new experiences.

The SMI Youth Exchange is a program that brings together selected individuals to learn about diplomacy, education, and culture across three countries. Radya was chosen as a fully funded delegate for Batch 10, and for her, the program was an opportunity to gain real international exposure. She shared that it was not only about cultural exploration but also academic visits and meaningful discussions on global issues like the Sustainable Development Goals.

In August 2025, we joined 27 fellow academics from universities across Indonesia in a short course on Strengthening the Higher Education System in Indonesia (SHESI), delivered through the Australia Awards Indonesia program. The Crawford School of Public Policy hosted the course at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, and gave us the opportunity to engage with policymakers and universities.

In Canberra, we visited the Department of Education and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), gaining insights into national policy and regulations. In Victoria, we visited leading universities, including the University of Melbourne, RMIT, and Deakin, as well as Study Melbourne, the government body supporting international students. These experiences offered a comprehensive view of how Australia manages internationalisation across policy, governance, and practice.

A new semester means new faces on campus, and this time, one of them has come all the way from Myanmar to join the IUP Psychology program! Her name is Julia and she is here to explore a new country, meet new people, and experience student life in Indonesia.

Julia chose Indonesia because of its rich diversity, filled with culture and traditions. She mentioned that the people here are friendly and some of our customs such as the way we show respect to elders, holding our hands in front of our chest as a form of greeting or showing gratitude reminds her of Myanmar. 

Almeira Hadi, known as Mella, was a student at IUP Psychology from batch 2018 who is currently pursuing her masters degree in School Psychology at Leiden University, Netherlands. 

When asked on why she decided to pursue School Psychology, a rather rare choice for Psychology undergraduates, Mella revealed that she had always been passionate in teaching since high school. During her time as an undergraduate in IUP Psychology, she had the chance to become a lecturer’s assistant for 4 times, and she enjoyed giving feedback on students’ assignments as well as the dynamics of teachings. Following her graduation as an undergraduate, Mella had the experience as an intern for 6 months at Sekolah Cikal, where she then continued to be a teacher there. read more