Yogyakarta State University or Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (formerly IKIP Yogyakarta or Yogyakarta Institute of Teacher Education and Educational Sciences) has been established since 1964 and was recognized as one of the most famous institutes for educational sciences and teacher education in Indonesia. Yogyakarta State University also operates a Museum of Indonesian Education, which exhibits information about the history of pedagogy in the country. The university has been continuously developed and expanded over time. According to World Scholarship Forum, Yogyakarta State University was ranked 15th among the best universities of Indonesia in 2021. 

Yogyakarta State University currently (2021) has one graduate school and seven faculties: Faculty of Education, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Sport Sciences, and Faculty of Economics, comprising 64 undergraduate programs (53 bachelor’s and 11 three-year-diploma), and 37 graduate study programs (30 master’s and 7 doctoral). 

The university has developed partnerships with 36 international institutions from many countries, for example, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, USA, the Netherlands, Australia, India, France, Hungary, and Thailand. 

Besides, Yogyakarta is one of the most famous cities of Indonesia and is recognized as a city of education regarding several universities based there. The city is also important as the historical and cultural center of the Java Islands. These environments could promote a positive learning atmosphere for the students.

Walailak University and Yogyakarta State University formed an academic collaboration agreement, with the presidents of both universities formally signing the MOU on October 29, 2021. In this regard, the School of Political Science and Laws served as the pilot agency in charge of overseeing operations within the scope of the two universities’ collaboration. The early plans encompass both countries’ student exchange programs, language training programs, and the establishment of joint research initiatives, amongst many other things.

The first official activity was a project called “Belajar Bahasa Thailand” or “Learn Thai,” which was organized by members of the ASEAN Studies Major of the Political Science Program and the Bahasa Indonesia for Non-Native Speakers Program (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing: BIPA) of Yogyakarta State University. In this project, members of the ASEAN Studies Major designed a course to teach Thai language and offered online tuition for Yogyakarta State University students in August 2021.