Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education launches ‘Path of Excellence’ scholarship program

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh launched the Path of Excellence for Scholarship, which aimed at facilitating the enrolment of young Saudi men and women graduates in world-class universities.

“The Path of Excellence for Scholarship, one of the paths of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Foreign Scholarship Program, includes 32 specializations in 70 prestigious universities around the world, to achieve the comprehensive development goals in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” It is the latest track of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Overseas Scholarship Program (Old name KASP), which was initially launched in 2005.

There are 24 UK HEIs that are part of this scholarship scheme. This track is similar to the elite scholarship track, which aimed to place Saudi students in the top 50 world universities. We have no information about the programme duration, the total number of seats, or the budget yet, and it is not announced on any official channel.

The Ministry of Education described the scholarship program as being characterized by “the presence of new specializations that contribute to building a prosperous and diversified economy and support the Kingdom’s various promising sectors.”. National security, hospitality, tourism, human resources, economics, international relations, media and communication, criminal justice, and sports are among the 32 areas of study included in the program, which cover bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and PhDs.

Those who wish to apply to the program must adhere to the following guidelines:
• Applicants must be Saudi nationals.
• They must have an unconditional acceptance offer from the university they apply to.
• They must only apply to the universities and the areas of study specified by the Ministry of Education.
• Studying and attending classes must take place in the university’s main location and country.
• Students must regularly attend their classes.

It is available throughout the year, until seats are full, through the Ministry's electronic portal “Safeer”

Please find an attached document with further information on a list of 70 universities, disciplines, and additional universities according to the disciplines.