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The US government aims to double the number of Indonesian students studying in the country within the next five years, an official said on Friday.

“We think a US education is one of the best in the world and is a good stepping-stone for students’ careers and lives,” Anne Grimes, the US Embassy attache, told the Jakarta Globe. “We are starting a big push for students to be educated in the US.”

The program is part of the Take Control initiative launched on Tuesday.

The initiative will increase Indonesian students’ access to free advisory services from AMINEF/EducationUSA, a US State Department-supported network of educational advisory centers around the world.

Grimes said there were a large number of Indonesian students who were interested in studying in the United States but did not know how to go about applying to do so.

EducationUSA will send advisers out around the country in mobile centers. Visitors to the booths will be able to talk to an adviser and get help on how to select a university, apply for a course of study, assess financial needs and apply for a visa.

“We can also help with scholarships. We do not know yet about the budget, but it may increase,” Grimes said.

There are currently about 7,700 Indonesian students studying in the United States.

The US Embassy is also working on encouraging more American students to come to Indonesia to study.

“At the end of July, a delegation of US university leaders were here to learn about Indonesia and they are looking to partner with Indonesian universities,” Grimes said, adding that there were representatives from 30 institutes of higher learning in the delegation.