Attracting talented and distinguished graduate students

Scope of the Initiative

The initiative aims to attract highly talented and distinguished students, locally and globally, who have exceptional academic and research achievements, to pursue a Ph.D. degree in selected programs offered by KSU. This initiative comes in line with KSU transformation to be a world-class university.

Objectives of the Initiative

The general objective of the initiative is to attract top students from inside KSA, and from around the world, to join KSU community strengthening the quality of PhD students, in a culturally diverse environment, with the following specific objectives:

• To facilitate local and international students' contributions to research productivity in alignment with KSU’s priorities
• To advance academic development and innovation at the university level.
• To cultivate a dynamic research environment that fosters excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration within the university and with international universities

Eligibility Criteria

To apply, the initiative has a set of general requirements, set by the Deanship of Graduate Studies, the initiative owner, to ensure high academic standards. Further specific requirements might be required based on the selected programs, which are set by the department/program.

General Requirements

• Master's degree from an accredited institution
• English proficiency: Only official TOEFL, IELTS, and STEP scores will be accepted. KSU requires a minimum TOEFL score of 61 on the IBT (Internet Based Test) or 6 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or 85 on STEP. The KSU admissions code for IELTS (147080) and for TOEFL (7498). A waiver from this requirement is possible if the applicant received a Master’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand.
• Two letters of recommendation
• Curriculum Vitae (CV), with an evidence of a recent publication or a patent if available.
• A statement of purpose.
• The GRE general test is preferable, but not required, unless specified by the selected program.
• A personal interview may be required (virtual or in-person).

Study Subjects and Application Deadlines

The initiative gives opportunities for exceptionally talented students to purse their PhD in a setting of academic and research environment. KSU has a variety of PhD programs in the following fields of study:

• Computer Sciences
• Engineering
• Basic and Applied Sciences
• Health and Medical Sciences

All PhD programs have the following components:

• Courses: In this component, the student is expected to complete a set of credit hours that consists of core courses and elective courses.
• Dissertation: In this component, the student is required to carry out an independent research in the specialized area of study. This component is typically equivalent to a minimum of 24 credit hours.
• Written & Oral Qualifying Examination: The student must successfully pass a written and oral qualifying examination on a set of selected areas before being allowed to progress further in the program.
• Research Proposal: The student must develop a research proposal in his area of specialization in order to conduct his dissertation project.
• Dissertation Examination: The student must complete his dissertation project and defend it successfully in a dissertation oral examination (Dissertation Defense) to earn his degree.

Application Deadlines:

Full and complete applications via the application portal will be accepted starting from Monday March 24th, 2025 till May 15th, 2025. Decisions by the Initiative Steering Committee will be tentatively made starting from late June 2025. Notified students will be able to start as early as the Fall semester (August 2025) or the Winter semester (January 2026).

Scholarship Benefits

All eligible full-time students will be granted the following benefits under the Initiative, which provides support throughout their PhD studies (for 3 years). These benefits include:

• Full tuition support
• Monthly living allowance [a total of 54,000 ($ 14,400) annually]
• On-campus Housing
• Comprehensive health coverage at the university hospitals
• Relocation support for students from outside Riyadh
• Part-time work opportunities might be available
• Eligibility to work in KSA for up to one year after graduation