Saudi Varsity offers scholarships for overseas students

By Javid Hassan



King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), a world class Saudi university that will be up and running at Thuwal, near Jeddah, by September this year, is offering Discovery Scholarships to all KAUST students as part of its ambitious programme to attract highly talented students from Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world.



Students, deemed to be future leaders in physical, chemical and biological sciences, engineering, mathematics and technology are eligible for the scholarship, for which they could apply either directly or may be nominated by a professor at their institution, according to an announcement released by the university.



To be eligible for admission, the candidate should be currently enrolled in a bachelor's/first university degree programme in a KAUST-relevant field of study mentioned above.



The university will provide financial support to pre-enrollment Discovery Scholarship winners at their respective institutions prior to the University's opening in the third quarter of this year. Following their graduation, these students will pursue postgraduate courses at the university, near Jeddah, this year and the next to complete their studies, which will be a fully funded scholarship.



Winners of the scholarship award will receive full tuition fee to complete their degree at the current institution, a monthly stipend, allowances for the purchase of textbooks and a laptap computer, all travel costs associated with participation in KAUST-sponsored enrichment activities, and a host of other facilities.



KAUST will also offer a pre-enrollment model of this general scholarship programme to students attending the first-university or bachelor's degree courses. One of the highlights of the scholarship programme is that the university will provide financial support to the recipients of pre-enrollment Discovery Scholarship at their home institutions even before the University's official opening.



Regarding eligibility, the candidate should have obtained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent in other international grading systems. He should be able to enroll at KAUST in 2009, 2010, or 2011. Further, he should score a minimum TOEFL score of 79 on the IBT (Internet Based Test) or 6.0 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) upon award offer.



However, a TOEFL or IELTS score is not required if the applicant is a native speaker of English or had gained admission to a university in the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, Ireland, or New Zealand. For candidates from other countries, they should submit a bachelor’s degree certificate from their respective university. A scan of the official bachelor’s university transcript should be uploaded into the online application form together with a hard copy in a university’s sealed envelope and mailed to the Institute of International Education (Attn: KAUST Transcripts), 1800 West Loop South, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77027.



The students should demonstrate academic and research interest and/or leadership potential and be able to travel outside his home country to attend KAUST development activities. The university has already signed collaborative research agreements with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Institut Français du Pétrole; National University of Singapore; American University in Cairo; Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Technische Universität München; University of California, San Diego; IBM; GE Global Research Center; King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology; King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Saudi Aramco.



The focus of research at KAUST will be in the areas of interest to Saudi Arabia, such as marine research, exploration in the fields of oil, gas, water and environmental preservation, exploitation of renewable energy and CO2 reduction. Interested candidates have been advised to visit the KAUST website at www.kaust.edu.sa for further information.