Study in Saudi Arabia

 Why Saudi Arabia for Study

Saudi Arabia’s Study in Saudi portal has opened undergraduate and postgraduate pathways for over 170 nationalities, with 27 public universities participating in the unified scholarship system offering fully funded, partially funded, and self-funded options. 

For Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi students

For above students, this creates a broad scope: Daras Nizami graduates can apply for Islamic studies, Arabic language, and Sharia programs at institutions like;

-Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University and;

- Umm Al-Qura University, where Arabic is the medium of instruction and prior religious education is directly relevant. 

Students with conventional early education can access science, engineering, medicine, and business programs where English is the main medium of instruction, typically after completing a preparatory English year. 

Both tracks benefit from the same scholarship benefits—tuition waiver, monthly stipend, housing, health insurance, and flights—but admission remains competitive and requires certified academic documents, Arabic translation, and meeting age and health criteria.

The Online Application Process for Foreign Students in KSA

  http://studyinsaudi.com/en

 isn’t the _only_ way, but it’s the main official portal now.

Here’s how it breaks down:

1. Study in Saudi portal - the official one

The Saudi Ministry of Education runs the centralized portal: "studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa"

This is what handles:

- Applications to 50+ public and private universities

- Fully funded, partially funded, and self-funded programs

- Visa facilitation and tracking

- You can apply to 3-5 universities in one go.

Universities like Majmaah University and others explicitly tell international students to apply “via the unified platform Study in Saudi Arabia”.

2. studyinsaudi.com

That’s a commercial/info site. It gives guides, lists programs, and links to universities. Useful for browsing, but the actual application gets routed through the official gov portal.

3. Direct university applications

Some universities still accept direct applications on their own websites, especially for self-funded students. 

But for government scholarships and the standard visa process, they’ll direct you back to the Study in Saudi portal.

So for foreign students:

If you want a scholarship or a smooth visa process→ use "studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa".

If you’re just researching programs→ http://studyinsaudi.com is fine, but you’ll end up applying on the gov portal. 

1. Number of universities available to apply

- 27 public universities are on the unified portal `studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa` for the 2026 scholarship cycle.

- The official site also says “around 50 public and private universities” overall in KSA, but only 27 participate in the unified scholarship portal.

- Some specialized universities like KAUST, Alfaisal, Effat have separate scholarship pipelines. 

Some More Details for Foreign Students

1. Total available seats / % for foreign students

- There isn’t a single public “total seats” number. Seats are allocated per country and program.

- Example: Saudi Arabia allocates ∼190 seats annually for Kenyan students. For the US, 317 openings were granted this year.

- The portal says students from 170+ countries study in KSA and there are 100k+ international graduates.

- Percentage isn’t published, but admission is competitive. For public universities, international student fees are lower and scholarships are limited. 

3. Categories of foreign students

The portal separates applicants into 2 main tracks:

A. Students outside KSA

- Apply for the D1 education visa through the portal.

- Application window for UG: early May to mid-June 2026. PG: May to end of Oct 2026.

B. Students already inside KSA on family/dependent visa

- If you’re on a dependent/family visa, you can study, but you apply through the same portal and select “student inside KSA”.

- Deadlines are different: UG for inside-KSA students is mid-June to end of July. PG is May to mid-June.

- You don’t need a new visa if already on iqama, but you still need university acceptance.

4. Mode of teaching: Arabic / English

- Undergraduate: 

English is the main medium for scientific subjects - engineering, medicine, CS, etc.. Arabic is used for Islamic studies, Arabic language, humanities.

- Preparatory year: 

All students do an intensive English year before UG if needed.

- Arabic language programs: 

Dedicated institutes for non-native speakers at KAU, KKU, etc..

- Official policy says Arabic is the default language of education, but in practice EMI is widely used in universities. 

5. Quality of education & post-study work permit

Quality:

- Several KSA universities rank in THE World University Rankings.

- King Saud University, KAUST, KFUPM, King Abdulaziz University are the top ones, strong in engineering, medicine, sciences. ba15d8ad

Post-study work:

- No automatic post-study work permit:

 Student visa ends at graduation.

- To stay and work, you need a job offer and your employer sponsors a work visa/Iqama.

- Some universities like KFUPM have strong industry ties for placements. Mega projects like NEOM are planning easier expat hiring.

6. Education cost vs Malaysia / Turkey

Saudi Arabia - self-funded:

- Public universities: 

SAR 5,000-30,000/year for intl students. Some list SAR 30k-80k for UG.

- Private universities:

 SAR 60k-150k+ annually. Medicine can be SAR 100k-250k/year.

- Scholarship: 

Fully funded covers tuition, SAR 850-900/month for UG, ~SAR 1,900 for PG, housing, insurance, flights. 

Malaysia:

- Public unis: ~USD 2k-4k/year for UG. Private: USD 4k-8k/year. Living costs ~USD 3k-5k/year. Much cheaper than KSA self-funded.

Turkey:

- Public unis: USD 300-800/year for most programs. Private: USD 3k-15k/year. Living costs ~USD 4k-6k/year.

Comparison:

- KSA is more expensive than Turkey/Malaysia if self-funded, but the "fully funded scholarship is more generous" than what Malaysia/Turkey offer - stipend + housing + flights is rare there.

- If you get the scholarship, KSA is effectively free. If not, Malaysia/Turkey are cheaper.

Here’s the current status for 2026 applications and the steps:

1. Are applications open for 2026?

As of now, the main round for international students outside KSA ended in mid-to-late 2025 for the 2025/2026 academic year.

For 2026/2027:

- Undergraduate: Usually opens early May and closes mid-June 2026

- Postgraduate: Usually opens early May and closes end of October 2026

The portal https://studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa updates with exact dates. It currently says “application period for this year has ended”, so you’ll need to wait for the next cycle to open around May 2026.

Some universities run rolling admissions for self-funded students outside the portal, but government scholarships only go through the portal.

2. How to apply - step by step

Step 1: Create account

Go to http://studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa → “Create account”. Enter name, nationality, DOB, passport, email, phone. Verify via email/SMS.

Step 2: Complete profile

Add education background, passport details, contact info. Upload documents later, so have them ready.

Step 3: Start application

Pick degree level: bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, diploma, Arabic language.

Choose scholarship type:

- Fully funded: tuition, ∼$800-1000/month stipend, accommodation, health insurance, flights

- Partially funded: reduced fees + limited support

- Self-funded: you pay everything

Select 3-5 universities/programs.

Step 4: Upload documents

- Passport valid 6+ months

- Academic certificates + transcripts, certified & translated to Arabic

- Medical report showing no infectious diseases

- Birth certificate

- Passport photos

- Recommendation letters

- English/Arabic proficiency test if required

Step 5: Submit and track

Universities review via the portal and send decisions there. If accepted, you’ll get an acceptance letter.

Step 6: Apply for D1 education visa

Do this in the portal’s visa section. It auto-forwards to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once approved, you get a visa authorization number, then go to the Saudi embassy for stamping.

General Advise:

- Start early. Processing + selection takes months.

- All docs need Arabic translation if originally in another language.

- Age limit is usually 16+.

- Check back on the portal in April 2026 for the exact opening date.

The purpose of this article is to help students.If any step step is missed out please add in your comments below.