Studying in Saudi Arabia
Education system and universities
Let’s start with the top 5 universities of Saudi Arabia:
- King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM): strong in engineering and petroleum-related fields in Ad Dammām
- King Saud University (KSU): the large research university in Riyadh.
- King Abdulaziz University (KAU): a major research and medical hub in Jeddah
- King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST): a research-intensive, graduate-focused university with a global profile in Thuwal
- King Khalid University (KKU): has many different courses from the medical field to business opportunities in different locations in the country
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals: you can study for a PhD or masters degree for engineering. The language spoken for these courses is English.
King Saud University: you can study for a bachelor’s degree for a lot of different courses. You could follow the courses in Arabic or in English.
King Abdulaziz University: you can study for a bachelor’s and master’s degree for many different types of courses. You can choose if you want to follow the course in English or Arabic.
King Abdullah University of Science & Technology: you can study for a PhD and a master’s degree for different courses related to engineering and economics and you have the choise to follow the courses in English and in Arabic.
King Khalid University: you can study for a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and the school has many different courses that you can choose to follow in both English or Arabic.
Application and requirements
To apply to a school in Saudi Arabia, you would need to take an English exam. It differs per school. At some schools, you would have to take the Pearson Test of English, Cambridge English, a Duolingo English score of 130, etc.
At universities in Saudi Arabia, you need to have at least a 4.0 GPA (average of 8.0) for your final exams. At some schools, you need to have a postgraduate or master’s degree in order to apply to a certain course.
For more information, you can look at Study in Saudi Arabia.
Living in Saudi Arabia as a student
In Saudi Arabia, the best affordable way of living would be living in dorms on campus, because the average spending would be between €185 and €345 in a month for groceries.
The transportation fees depend on which university u go to. Some universities offer free transportation, and others offer a discount.
Culture and lifestyle
Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country, and religion plays an important role in daily life. Dressing modestly isn’t something you need to do, but it is expected as a sign of respect to locals.
Public behaviour is also important. For example, being respectful to your elders, not being loud in public, and not being rude to people.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph, Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country. In this country it’s illegal to eat pork meat and drink alcohol, because of religion.
