Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Beberapa dari mereka berharap mendapat beasiswa riset di bidang robotika. - Some of them hope to get a research scholarship in the field of robotics.

beberapa dari mereka = some of them (a subset of a specific group already mentioned)
beberapa orang = some people (not tied to a previously mentioned group)

Using dari signals that you are taking a part from an already known group (mereka). Without dari, beberapa mereka sounds wrong in standard Indonesian; you normally say beberapa dari mereka.

Could I say sebagian dari mereka instead of beberapa dari mereka? What is the difference?

Both are grammatically correct, but there is a nuance:

beberapa dari mereka = some of them, several of them
- Sounds more like a relatively small, unspecified number.
sebagian dari mereka = a portion of them
- Emphasizes a portion or fraction of the group. It can be small or large, but it sounds a bit more “mass-like” and less countable.

In many contexts they overlap, but:

If you imagine counting individuals (three, four, five people), beberapa dari mereka feels more natural.
If you imagine talking about a share of the group (for example: half of them, most of them), sebagian dari mereka fits better.

Why is it berharap mendapat and not berharap untuk mendapat? Is untuk required?

Both are possible:

berharap mendapat beasiswa
berharap untuk mendapat beasiswa

The version without untuk is very common and completely natural in spoken and written Indonesian.

Nuance:

berharap mendapat …
- Slightly more direct and a bit more concise; very normal and idiomatic.
berharap untuk mendapat …
- A bit more formal or explicit, sometimes used in more careful writing.

Grammatically, berharap can be followed either directly by a verb (mendapat) or by untuk + verb, so untuk is optional here, not required.

What is the difference between mendapat, mendapatkan, and menerima in this sentence?

All three can appear in similar contexts, but they have slightly different tones:

mendapat beasiswa
- To get / obtain a scholarship
- Very common, neutral, slightly shorter and more casual than mendapatkan.
mendapatkan beasiswa
- Also to get / obtain a scholarship
- Often feels slightly more formal, sometimes a bit more “active” (as if there is some effort involved), but in everyday use many speakers treat it as almost interchangeable with mendapat.
menerima beasiswa
- To receive a scholarship
- Focuses more on the act of receiving something that is given, rather than on the outcome of “having obtained it.”

In your sentence:

… berharap mendapat beasiswa … is perfectly natural.
… berharap mendapatkan beasiswa … is also very natural.
… berharap menerima beasiswa … is possible, but it subtly emphasizes the moment of receiving, not the effort or success in obtaining it.

What does beasiswa riset mean exactly? Is riset the same as penelitian?

Beasiswa riset literally is:

beasiswa = scholarship
riset = research

So beasiswa riset = research scholarship.

About riset vs penelitian:

riset is a loanword from English research.
penelitian is the “native” Indonesian word based on teliti (careful, thorough).

In many modern contexts they are effectively synonyms:

beasiswa riset
beasiswa penelitian

Both mean a scholarship for doing research. In academic or formal texts, penelitian is extremely common; in spoken or semi-formal language, riset is also widely used, especially in scientific or technical fields.

How does di bidang robotika work grammatically, and what does bidang mean?

di bidang robotika breaks down as:

di = in, at
bidang = field, area (of expertise / work / study)
robotika = robotics

So di bidang robotika means in the field of robotics.

Pattern:

di bidang
- area of specialization
  - di bidang kedokteran = in the field of medicine
  - di bidang pendidikan = in the field of education
  - di bidang teknologi informasi = in the field of information technology

Grammatically, di bidang robotika is a prepositional phrase describing beasiswa riset: it tells you what field the research scholarship is related to.

Is the word order beasiswa riset di bidang robotika fixed? Could I say beasiswa di bidang riset robotika?

The original:

beasiswa riset di bidang robotika
= a research scholarship in the field of robotics.

This order is natural and clear:

beasiswa (scholarship)
riset (of the research type)
di bidang robotika (in the field of robotics)

beasiswa di bidang riset robotika is understandable but slightly different in feel:

beasiswa di bidang riset robotika
suggests “a scholarship in the field of robotics research.”
You are now saying the field is “robotics research” as a whole.

Both can work, but:

beasiswa riset di bidang robotika
sounds simpler and more typical: a scholarship (for) research, and that research is in robotics.

Could I replace mendapat with meraih here? What would meraih beasiswa riset mean?

Yes, you can say:

berharap meraih beasiswa riset di bidang robotika

Meraih literally means to reach for / to achieve / to attain. Nuance:

mendapat beasiswa = to get a scholarship (fairly neutral)
meraih beasiswa = to achieve / win a scholarship (implies effort and success, often sounds more “heroic” or “accomplished”)

So meraih is often used in more “achievement” contexts:

meraih juara pertama = to win first place
meraih penghargaan = to win an award

Using meraih in your sentence emphasizes that the scholarship is something prestigious or hard-won.

Is berharap always used for hopes about the future, like in English to hope?

Most of the time, yes, berharap is about hope or expectation, usually related to the future:

Saya berharap dia datang. = I hope he/she comes.
Kami berharap situasi membaik. = We hope the situation improves.

You can also see it used for current or continuing hopes:

Kami masih berharap. = We still have hope.

But the general idea is the same as English to hope: wishing for a certain outcome, usually not guaranteed yet. In your sentence, berharap clearly refers to a future wish: they want to obtain a scholarship (later).

How formal is this sentence? Would it sound natural in everyday conversation?

Beberapa dari mereka berharap mendapat beasiswa riset di bidang robotika. is:

Neutral to slightly formal in tone.
Perfectly acceptable in everyday spoken Indonesian (especially among educated speakers, students, academics).

In casual speech, people might shorten or adjust it, for example:

Beberapa dari mereka pengin dapet beasiswa riset di robotika.
- pengin = colloquial for ingin
- dapet = colloquial for dapat / mendapat

But the original sentence is not stiff; it just sounds a bit more standard and is very suitable for writing, presentations, and clear, careful conversation.