Saudi Arabia spends more than 20% of its annual budget on developing and improving the education system, so it is not surprising that it has decided to pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree there.

And now it’s time to look at the college application process, which is pretty straightforward. Just follow these steps:

Find a Saudi Arabian university

If you have already chosen a university, feel free to skip this section. But if you haven’t already, start by checking out some of the best universities in Saudi Arabia:

Other universities:

King Saud University www.ksu.edu.sa
Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University http://www.pnu.edu.sa/en/
Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University www.imamu.edu.sa
Prince Sultan University www.psu.edu.sa
College of Telecom & Information www.cti.edu.sa
Arab Open University www.arabou.org.sa
Riyadh College of Dentistry and Pharmacy www.riyadh.edu.sa
Al Yamamah University www.alyamamah.edu.sa
Dar Al Uloom University www.dau.edu.sa
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences www.ksau-hs.edu.sa

Find out where to send your university application

Saudi Arabian universities provide an application form and all the necessary information on their websites. Before submitting any document, we recommend double-checking for errors, missing information, or misspellings.

Meet the university entry requirements

The list below includes some (but not all) of the most common admission criteria at Saudi Arabian universities:

filled-in online application form
proof of paying the application fee (if applicable)
high school diploma (to apply for a Bachelor’s)
Bachelor’s diploma (to apply for a Master’s)
transcript of records
proof of English proficiency
proof of financial resources (to live and study there)
medical certificate
passport-sized photo(s)
copy of valid passport and/or personal ID
letter(s) of recommendation
personal statement
GRE, GMAT, or PGAT (only for some study programs)

Good to know: Some universities in Saudi Arabia may also set age limits for their degrees. For example, students must be under the age of 25 to apply for undergraduate studies (bachelor’s) or under 30 years of age to apply for undergraduate/graduate studies (master’s).

Meet language requirements

All international students wishing to enroll in a course taught in English must demonstrate their level of language proficiency. To do this, universities ask them to pass one of these popular English tests:

IELTS Academic
PTE Academic
TOEFL iBT

Apply before the application deadlines

In Saudi Arabia, application deadlines vary significantly from one higher education institution to another:

King Abdulaziz University: You can apply at any time (application in progress), but most study programs start in September.

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals: has two admission periods:

Fall Admission: Must apply by February; Courses start in September (same year). Spring intake: You must apply before September; courses start in January (next year)

Alfaisal University: You must apply before July as most study programs start in August.

These are just a few examples to give you a general idea. You should always check the official dates on the university website, as the deadlines can change every year.

Final steps after receiving your acceptance letter

Confirm your enrolment after receiving the acceptance letter/university offer. Apply for a student visa in Saudi Arabia. Apply for medical insurance.

Search for scholarships and grants. Here you can find many Saudi Arabia scholarships for international students.

Education