Key takeaways
- The Excellence track funds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral study in 24 specialisations, conditional on a direct, unconditional offer from a university on the Ministry’s lists.
- There is no single ranking cut-off; the Ministry publishes named university lists, and the university’s standing in world rankings is the first competition criterion.
- The 2025-2026 general list has 52 universities and ANU is the only Australian one; sport has 9 Australian universities, Griffith covers tourism and hospitality, Tasmania marine science and Melbourne geography.
- A conditional offer pending an English score or final certificate is not accepted; the offer letter must state the specialisation, start date and university name.
- Applications are open all year on Safeer, results come in four rounds (June, July, October, December), and there are 1,000 seats a year.
- The programme site lists four paths for 2026-2027 — Al-Ruwad, Research and Development, Emdad and Waaid — while Excellence appears on the Ministry page for 2025-2026.
In this article
- What is the Excellence track, and how does it differ from other tracks?
- What is the ranking requirement in the Excellence track?
- Why do you need an unconditional offer first?
- Which specialisations are available in the Excellence track?
- Which Australian universities are approved in the Excellence track?
- How do you apply for the Excellence track?
- How does KD International help with the Excellence track?
The Excellence track (مسار التميز للابتعاث) is one of the tracks of the King Salman Scholarship Program (برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث الخارجي). It funds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 24 specialisations on one core condition: a direct, unconditional offer from a university named on the Ministry of Education’s lists Saudi Ministry of Education. Applications are open all year on the Safeer platform, and there are 1,000 seats a year.
A note on timing: the Ministry page that presents the Excellence (Al-Tamayuz) path and its subject lists carries the 2025-2026 academic year, per the Ministry of Education. The King Salman Scholarship Programme site lists four paths for 2026-2027 — Al-Ruwad, Research and Development, Emdad and Waaid — and Excellence is not among them, per the Ministry of Education. Read what follows as an explanation of the path as published, and confirm which paths are open for your application year.
What is the Excellence track, and how does it differ from other tracks?
The Ministry describes the track as raising students’ academic qualifications by sending them to distinguished international institutions, in specialisations that support promising sectors such as tourism, hospitality, business, sport and environmental science Saudi Ministry of Education. Its second edition opened in May 2022 with 21 specialisations in 19 countries Saudi Ministry of Education, its third in November 2022 for the 2023/2024 academic year Saudi Ministry of Education, and applications are now open all year according to the Ministry’s current page for the 2025-2026 academic year.
| Track | Degrees | University condition | Who secures the offer? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellence | Bachelor’s, master’s, PhD | Universities named on the Ministry’s lists for each specialisation Saudi Ministry of Education | You, with a direct unconditional offer before applying |
| Pioneers (الرواد) | Bachelor’s, master’s | Top 30 institutions worldwide Saudi Ministry of Education | You, with a final unconditional offer |
| Emdad (إمداد) | Bachelor’s, master’s | Top 200 universities in high-demand fields Saudi Ministry of Education | See its conditions on the Ministry site |
| Research and Development | Research programs | Top 200 institutions in priority fields Saudi Ministry of Education | See its conditions on the Ministry site |
For a full comparison of the tracks, read the guide to all Saudi scholarship tracks, and for the Pioneers track specifically, the Pioneers track conditions and universities.
What is the ranking requirement in the Excellence track?
The Ministry does not publish a single ranking cut-off for the Excellence track as it does for the Pioneers and Emdad tracks. Instead it publishes lists of universities by name, and makes "the university’s standing in world rankings" the first criterion in the competition between applicants, followed by the grade of the previous qualification, not already holding the same or a higher degree, and no failure in a previous scholarship Saudi Ministry of Education. In other words, ranking works in two stages: first, is the university on the list at all? Then, the higher its rank, the stronger your position in the competition for seats.
How are the university lists built?
There are two kinds of list Saudi Ministry of Education:
- General universities: one list covering every specialisation in the track except business administration, national security, criminal justice, political science and international relations, digital advertising and digital games; those have their own lists and cannot be applied for through the general universities.
- Additional universities: universities added for each specialisation on top of the general list.
The general list for 2025-2026 has 52 universities, including 29 in the United States and 6 in the United Kingdom, and a single Australian university: the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra Saudi Ministry of Education (dated 8/12/1446 AH, June 2025).
Why do you need an unconditional offer first?
Because the Excellence track does not nominate you to a university; you bring the offer and then apply with it. The Ministry requires "a direct, unconditional offer in one of the specified specialisations and institutions", and among the documents it lists "the official unconditional offer letter stating the specialisation clearly, the course start date and the university’s name" Saudi Ministry of Education.
Conditional versus unconditional offers
- Conditional offer: the university accepts you subject to a requirement not yet met, such as an English score, a final certificate or a certified transcript KD International. This letter is not accepted in the Excellence track.
- Unconditional offer: you have met every requirement and can accept the offer immediately. This is what the Ministry asks for.
The Ministry also excludes executive programs, programs offered by a College of Professional Studies or a College of Continuing Education and similar programs offered by the university’s main college, and it requires study in the country of the university’s main campus, full time Saudi Ministry of Education. So when you request an offer, make sure it is issued by a core academic faculty and states the approved specialisation word for word.
Which specialisations are available in the Excellence track?
The Ministry lists 24 specialisations Saudi Ministry of Education (dated 9/10/1446 AH, April 2025): business administration, hospitality management, public policy and administration, media and communication, economics, national security, anthropology, history, geography, social work, sport and sports management, tourism and hotel management, criminal justice, sociology, marine science, environmental science, political science and international relations, philosophy, human resources, fisheries, forestry and rangelands, digital marketing, game design, and law (Juris Doctor).
Which Australian universities are approved in the Excellence track?
The answer depends on the specialisation, because the lists are built specialisation by specialisation Saudi Ministry of Education:
| Specialisation | Australian universities on its list | List date |
|---|---|---|
| All general specialisations | Australian National University (ANU) Saudi Ministry of Education | 8/12/1446 AH (June 2025) |
| Sport and sports management | Sydney, Melbourne, Western Australia (UWA), La Trobe, Griffith, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Curtin, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Newcastle Saudi Ministry of Education | 9/10/1446 AH (April 2025) |
| Marine science | Tasmania Saudi Ministry of Education | 6/12/1446 AH (June 2025) |
| Hospitality management; tourism and hotel management | Griffith Saudi Ministry of Education | 6/12/1446 AH (June 2025) |
| Geography | Melbourne Saudi Ministry of Education | 6/12/1446 AH (June 2025) |
| Game design | ANU (Bachelor of Advanced Computing) Saudi Ministry of Education | 16/9/1446 AH (March 2025) |
| Business administration, national security, criminal justice, political science, digital advertising, law | No Australian universities on the current lists Saudi Ministry of Education | 21/5/1445 AH to 6/12/1446 AH |
The practical summary: if your field is sport, tourism and hospitality, marine science, geography or game design, Australia is a live option in the Excellence track; if your field sits on the general list, the only Australian option is ANU. Universities such as UNSW and Monash, despite their global standing (UNSW ranked 19th and Monash 31st in the QS World University Rankings 2027 ABC, 18 June 2026), are not on the current Excellence lists; you may find them in other tracks such as Pioneers. The lists are updated periodically, so check the current list on the Ministry page before requesting an offer.
How do you apply for the Excellence track?
- Choose a specialisation from the list, and an Australian university that appears on the list for that specific specialisation.
- Secure a direct, unconditional offer stating the specialisation, start date and university name. KD helps you prepare and follow up the university application until it arrives in this form.
- Prepare the documents: a copy of a valid passport, your national address, the previous qualification certificate and its equivalence if earned outside Saudi Arabia, the unconditional offer letter, the academic transcript, and dependants’ documents if any Saudi Ministry of Education.
- Apply through the Safeer platform; applications are open all year, the application and specialisation cannot be edited after submission, and you may cancel and lodge a new one.
- Wait for the competition: results are announced in four rounds of the academic year: June, July, October and December Saudi Ministry of Education.
- Once nominated, the online services open: the embassy letter for the visa, issuing the scholarship decision, the financial guarantee and the travel ticket. The decision is tied to the course start date, and you must commence within a month of that date.
The numbers that shape your chances
Seats are 7 per specialisation per university, with a maximum of 30 per university and 50 per specialisation across all universities, and 1,000 seats in total per year Saudi Ministry of Education. There is no age limit and no minimum GPA to apply, employees may apply, the specialisation need not continue your previous qualification, and you may be sponsored for a degree you already hold if the specialisation is different.
How does KD International help with the Excellence track?
The company has followed this track since 2020, posting on how to apply KD International on X (October 2020) and collecting students’ questions to put to universities KD International on X (November 2020). Today it says its admissions service is free for students enrolling in scholarship-program specialisations at universities approved by the Ministry of Education KD International. What it does with you: match your specialisation with its Australian university list, request the offer from the university in the form the Ministry accepts, then guide you on the visa and accommodation. The application on Safeer is made from your own account.
Your practical next step: first confirm your specialisation is one of the 24, then open the application form and state the specialisation and degree you are targeting, to learn which Australian university opens the Excellence track door for you today.
Frequently asked questions
Saudi nationality and good conduct, a direct unconditional offer in a listed specialisation and institution for a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD, not an executive program and not from a college of professional or continuing studies, full-time study in the country of the main campus, and success in the seat competition.
The Ministry does not publish a ranking cut-off; it publishes named university lists per specialisation. The university’s standing in world rankings is the first criterion in the competition for seats, followed by the previous GPA.
ANU on the general list and for game design; for sport: Sydney, Melbourne, UWA, La Trobe, Griffith, QUT, Curtin, UTS and Newcastle; Tasmania for marine science; Griffith for hospitality and tourism; Melbourne for geography. Lists are updated, so check the Ministry page.
No. The Ministry requires an official unconditional offer letter stating the specialisation, course start date and university name. Complete the English or certificate condition first so your offer becomes unconditional.
Applications are open all year on the Safeer platform, and results are announced after the competition in four rounds: June, July, October and December.
1,000 seats a year: 7 per specialisation per university, with a maximum of 30 per university and 50 per specialisation across all universities.
There is no age limit and no minimum GPA to apply, employees may apply, and the specialisation need not continue your previous qualification.
Official sources
- خدمات الابتعاث: مسار التميز للابتعاث (الشروط والوثائق والأسئلة الشائعة) — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- قائمة تخصصات مسار التميز — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- الجامعات العامة المعتمدة لمسار التميز للابتعاث — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- الجامعات الإضافية حسب التخصص — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- جامعات الرياضة والإدارة الرياضية — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- جامعات الألعاب الرقمية — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- جامعات تخصص إدارة الأعمال — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- بدء التقديم على مسار التميّز للابتعاث في نسخته الثالثة — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- بدء التقديم لمسار التميّز للابتعاث في نسخته الثانية 2022 — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث: المسارات — وزارة التعليم السعودية
- Australian universities make ‘historic’ global rankings (QS 2027) — ABC News
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Last updated: 15 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.
