Master's Scholarship•Saudi Arabia · Thuwal

KAUST Fellowship (Fully-Funded MS & PhD)

Funding

Fully Funded

Program dates

TBA

The KAUST Fellowship is the funding package automatically awarded to graduate students admitted to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a research university in Thuwal, on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. There is no separate fellowship application: applicants who are accepted into a Master’s, Master’s/PhD, or PhD program in KAUST’s science, engineering and technology fields receive the award as part of admission. The fellowship makes graduate study tuition-free and adds a living stipend, on-campus housing, health insurance and relocation support, so that admitted students can study without personal cost.

Benefits & funding

  • Full tuition and bench-fee coverage (worth up to US$35,000 per year)
  • Monthly living stipend: Master’s students ~US$20,000 per year; PhD students ~US$25,000–30,000 per year, depending on qualifications and academic progress
  • Base on-campus accommodation provided (shared housing for single students; 2-bedroom for married students); upgrades available for an extra fee
  • Health insurance for the student and eligible dependents living on campus
  • Relocation support covering visa, relocation and travel costs for arrival and return after graduation
  • Total package valued at roughly US$70,000–80,000 per year
  • Students with external sponsorship or funding may not be eligible for the KAUST Fellowship

Eligibility

  • Open to applicants of any nationality — KAUST hosts a community of over 120 nationalities, with no nationality restriction
  • Master’s applicants: a Bachelor’s degree in a subject relevant to the program, from a recognized institution; PhD applicants: a relevant Master’s degree
  • Competitive GPA: the minimum permitted is 3.0/4.0, but ~90% of admitted students exceed 3.3 and ~75% exceed 3.5
  • English proficiency required (valid within two years): IELTS 6.5 (5.5 per section), TOEFL iBT 81 (17 per section), PTE Academic 62 (59 per section), or Cambridge English 176 (169 per section); degree holders from the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand are exempt
  • Must be at least 18 years of age on entry
  • No work-experience requirement

Application process

  1. 1
    Choose a degree track (Master’s, Master’s/PhD, or PhD) and a program in KAUST’s science, engineering or technology divisions, and review the entry requirements.
  2. 2
    Create an applicant account and complete the online application, uploading official transcripts (with English translations), a CV, a statement of purpose (~750 words), three professional references, passport/ID, and English test scores.
  3. 3
    Submit before the cycle deadline; admission decisions are released individually as they are finalized, and admitted students receive the KAUST Fellowship automatically.

Program timeline

  1. Applications open for the 2025–26 admission year (Fall 2026 and Spring 2026 cycles)

    Aug 15, 2025

  2. Spring 2026 application deadline

    Oct 1, 2025

  3. Spring 2026 program starts

    Jan 25, 2026

  4. Fall 2026 application deadline (international applicants; May 14, 2026 for Saudi students)

    May 7, 2026

  5. Fall 2026 program starts

    Aug 30, 2026

  6. mid-August 2026

    Applications for Fall 2027 expected to open

KAUST Fellowship (Fully-Funded MS & PhD) — Master's Scholarship · Circlebreaker