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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is one of the top-ranked and world-renowned institutes in Saudi Arabia. It is ranked 434 in the global charts and is admired by students from all over the world to pursue their studies in science, technology, engineering, and much more. KAUST welcomes scholars and researchers from all over the world to further their careers on fully funded scholarships.
Let’s unwind the complexities of the application process for the KAUST scholarship.
What is KAUST
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is a world-renowned university with one of the most advanced computational resources and experimental facilities. Its interdisciplinary approach to energy, water, environment, and food research attracts researchers and enthusiasts from all over the world. It provides world-class networking opportunities and top-quality facilities for research.
What scholarships are provided at KAUST
KAUST welcomes scholars and researchers worldwide to pursue their Master’s or Ph.D. on full scholarship in Saudi Arabia.
What are the fields covered under KAUST scholarships
Following are the fields that are covered under KAUST scholarships:
Islamic Studies:
- Masters of Arts in Islam and Global Affairs
- Masters of Arts in Applied Islamic Ethics
- Masters of Arts in Islamic Studies
- Master of Science in Islamic Art, Architecture, and Urbanism
- Master of Science in Islamic Finance
- D. in Islamic Finance and Economy
Science and Engineering College:
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
- Master of Information Systems in Health Management
- Master of Data Analytics in Health Management
- Master of Science in Cybersecurity
- Master of Science in Data Science and Engineering
- Master of Science in a sustainable environment
- Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
- D. in Sustainable Energy
- D. in Sustainable Environment
Humanities and Social Sciences College:
- Masters of Arts in Digital Humanities and Societies
- Masters of Arts in Translation Studies
- Masters of Arts in Intercultural Communication
- Masters of Arts in Women’s Society and Development
- D. in Humanities and Social Sciences
Public Policy College:
- Master of Public Policy
Law College:
- LLM in International Law and foreign affairs
- Doctor of Juridical Science
- Juris Doctor
- LLM in International Economic and Business Law
Health and Life Science College:
- Master of Science in Exercise Science
- Master of Science in Genomics and Precision Medicine
- Master of Science in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- D. in Biological and biomedical sciences
- D. in Genomics and Precision Medicine
What are the programs available to study at KAUST
Following are the programs available at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology:
1) Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering
- Bioscience (B)
- Bioengineering (BioE)
- Environmental Science and Eng.
- Marine Science (MarS)
- Plant Science (PS)
2) Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Science and Engineering
- Applied Mathematics and Computational Science (AMCS)
- Computer Science (CS)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
- Statistics (STAT)
3) Physical Science and Engineering
- Applied Physics (AP)
- Chemical Engineering (CE)
- Chemical Science (ChemS)
- Earth Science and Engineering (ErSE)
- Energy Resources and Petroleum Engineering (ERPE)
- Material Science and Engineering (MSE)
- Mechanical Engineering (ME)
What are the research and Postdoc fields available at KAUST
Following are the research and postdoc fields available at KAUST:
1) Research Centres
- Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Centre
- Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Centre
- Centre for Desert Agriculture
- Clean Combustion Research Centre
- Computational Bioscience Research Centre
- Extreme Computing Research Centre
- KAUST Catalysis Centre
- KAUST Solar Centre
- Resilient Computing and Cybersecurity Centre
- Red Sea Research Centre
- Visual Computing Centre
- Water Desalination and Reuse Centre
2) Research in Academic Divisions
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering
- Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Science and Engineering
- Physical Science and Engineering Division
3) Research Support
- Lab Equipment Maintenance (LEM)
- Postdoctoral Support
- Research Publication Services (RPS)
4) Sponsored Research
- Office of Sponsored Research (OSR)
- Competitive Research Funds (CRF)
- Research Services (RS)
- Research Evaluation (RE)
5) Core Labs
- Analytical Chemistry
- Animal Resources
- Bioscience
- Coastal and Marine Resources
- Imaging and Characterization
- Lab Equipment Maintenance
- Nanofabrication
- Plant Growth
- Prototyping and Product Development
- Radiation Labelling
- Supercomputing
- Visualization
6) More on Research
- VP for Research
- Research Planning & Partnerships
- Artificial Intelligence Initiative
- Latest Publications
What are the benefits covered under KAUST scholarships
Following are the benefits that are provided to the students who can’t afford to pay fees to study at th top raking institute:
- There is no application fee to apply at KAUST
- The candidates are given a total fee waiver
- The candidates are provided a monthly allowance of 20,000$ to 30,000$ per year.
- The candidates are provided free accommodation and an on-campus living facility.
- The candidates are provided medical and dental coverage under the scholarship.
- The candidates are provided relocation support.
What are the eligibility criteria for the KAUST scholarship
Following are the eligibility criteria to be able to apply for the KAUST scholarship
- Applicants from any country can apply for a scholarship.
- The applicant must have completed a bachelor’s degree to be able to apply for a Master’s and must have a Master’s degree to apply for a Ph.D.
- The applicant must be physically and mentally ill.
- No minimum GPA is required to apply for the scholarship programs at KAUST. The average GPA of the applicants should be 3.7 out of 4.0. But the admission is based on the candidate’s entire application and not only the GPA.
- The applicant should meet the English language criteria.
- The GRE is not an eligibility requirement for admission, but the candidates are advised to take the general GRE to make their application stand out.
What are the documents required to apply for KAUST scholarships
The following are the documents required to apply for the KAUST scholarship program:
- A valid passport
- Online application
- Every official educational certificate/transcript/ Marksheet: The candidate must upload the Transcript/Marksheet of all the previous institutions. The candidate must upload a scan of an official transcript in the native language and a scan of the transcript in English.
- IELTS/TOEFL Certificate:
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): the candidate must have a 6.5 score of at least 5.5 in all the sections.
- TOEFL iBT (Internet–based Test): 79 overall scores with a minimum of 17 in all the individual sections.
- Pearson Test of English (PTE): The candidate must have 62 overall scores, with at least 59 in all the individual sections.
- Cambridge English: The candidate must have a 176 overall score with at least 169 in individual sections.
- An English language score isn’t a requirement if the candidate has received a degree from an accredited institute in the US, Canada, Ireland, UK, Australia, or Ireland.
- Three Letters of Recommendation: The candidate must attach three letters of recommendation from professors or advisors the candidate has studied some courses of their major from or done research under.
- Complete CV: The candidate must have a CV attached which should include their previous work experience, their research experience, their publications, if any, and all the other information the candidate deems relevant to put in the CV.
- Statement of purpose: The candidate must also attach a statement of purpose of 750 words approx. The statement should also include a description of the candidate’s past work, the preparations and plans the candidate has made for the field they want to pursue at KAUST, the background, and interests of the candidate, the future academic plans the candidate has, and other objectives related to career.
What is the KAUST scholarship application deadline
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s deadline for master’s and Ph.D. programs for the fall semester is 7 January 2023.
How to apply for the KAUST scholarship
The student must log in to the KAUST official website and upload all required documents. The student can review this profile whenever they want to check the profile status.
Who can apply to the KAUST scholarship program?
Anyone having a BachelorBachelors’s or a Masters’s degree can apply to the KAUST scholarship program from anywhere in the world. The university welcomes students from over 60 countries. Graduates from over 220 universities have applied for the KAUST scholarship so far.
Should the applicant send the supporting documents in after applying
The applicant has to upload all the documents online before applying. The recommendations required for the application process are confidential and should be sent directly to KAUST y the referees.
Can a candidate apply before having completed all the academic qualifications
The candidate can apply for the scholarship program before completing their academic qualifications. The candidate, however, will need to fill in the relevant section of the application by providing the expected completion date. The expected completion date must be a little before the beginning of the term the candidate wants to apply.
Can someone who has yet to receive their official GRE/IELTS/TOEFL score apply
The applicants who have yet to receive their official test scores can also apply for the scholarship provided they submit their scores or the upcoming test dates along with the confirmation or registration code. KAUST Admission ETS TOEFL code: 4107. KAUST Admissions ETS GRE code: 4139
What is the admission process, and how do the applicants get notified about the final decision
KAUST has a review committee that checks and ensures that the application is complete and suitable for the program the applicant is applying to. Following that, the faculty doesn’t do an academic assessment of the application and then decides to invite the candidate for an interview.
The interview is one of the most important steps of the admission process and should treat as a highly competitive step. Therefore, the applicant must demonstrate their zeal and motivation to study at KAUST in the interview. In the end, the applicants are notified about the final decision of the admission process via email.
Is it mandatory for the documents and academic records to be in English
The official receipts, as well as the grade reports of the candidates, should be in English. If they are not originally in English and the university doesn’t provide translations, the applicant must select a translation service and get the transcript translated into English.
Can someone graduating with a master’s degree apply for a second master’s degree in the KAUST fellowship program
If someone is already graduating with a Master’s degree, they can apply for a second Master’s degree at the KAUST fellowship program. However, they will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
If a student is already receiving a scholarship from another source, can the student apply for a Scholarship at KAUST?
Suppose a student has some other source of scholarship that provides support, such as travel to or from a conference or to buy a computer, etc. In that case, the student is eligible for the KAUST fellowship scholarship program.
If a student already has a full scholarship from another source that provides a monthly stipend, the student is not eligible for the KAUST scholarship program.
Can a student receive credit hours for graduate courses taken at some other university
The applicant can get credit hours from graduate courses taken at other universities. The graduate hours transferred from other courses or programs can be used to meet the criteria to apply for a Master’s, provided that the university or program is equivalent in level to the program the applicant wants to apply to. Up to 9 credit hours can be taken.
What are the contact details for the KAUST scholarship
If students have any queries or want more information regarding the application process, they can contact the university on its official website. The applicants can also contact the admissions office directly at admissions@kaust.edu.sa.
Can the applicant apply to more than one program
The applicant can only apply to one program.
You can read more about other leading scholarship programs in KSA:
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship program: A Detailed Guide
Building a Bright Future in the Middle East: Khalifa University Scholarship Application Guide
Final Thoughts
KAUST fellowship is one of the best scholarship programs for researchers, scholars, and enthusiasts worldwide to pursue their dream of getting a world-class education and conducting research in a place with the best equipment, facilities, and computational resources. It allows the candidates to expand their horizons by waiving them the financial burden of getting a higher education and providing them with stipends and allowances to live comfortably and focus on their education.
