Key takeaways
- Al-Ruwad is limited to bachelor’s and master’s degrees and requires an offer from one of the programme’s top 30 institutions.
- The official 2026-2027 list holds 30 universities across eight countries: the United States, United Kingdom, China, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan and France.
- No Australian university is on the Al-Ruwad list; Australian universities are approved on the Research and Development and Emdad paths instead.
- On those paths Australia includes Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, UNSW, Adelaide, Macquarie and RMIT among others, and the list differs by field of study.
- The offer must be final and unconditional from the admissions office, except in non-English-speaking countries where a language-conditional offer is accepted.
- Al-Ruwad applicants are exempt from the age-30 bachelor ceiling and from the bar on repeating a degree level.
In this article
The Al-Ruwad Path (مسار الرواد) is one of the tracks of the King Salman Scholarship Programme (برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث). It is open to bachelor’s and master’s students who already hold a final, unconditional offer from one of the world’s top 30 institutions on the programme’s list, spread across eight countries — and Australia is not one of them, according to the Saudi Ministry of Education. The path covers every field of study, and on-campus attendance is required.
What is the Al-Ruwad Path?
Al-Ruwad sends Saudi students to the 30 institutions the programme ranks highest worldwide, across all fields, as part of raising the country’s human-capital capability under Vision 2030. It is limited to bachelor’s and master’s degrees; diplomas, vocational colleges and continuing-education colleges are not accepted on this path, per the Saudi Ministry of Education.
The order matters: you secure the university offer first, by your own effort or with an education consultancy, and only then register the scholarship application.
Which universities are on the Al-Ruwad list? And is Australia among them?
The direct answer: there is no Australian university on the Al-Ruwad list. The Ministry’s path page states the list is 30 institutions across eight countries, per the Saudi Ministry of Education as at 15 September 2026, and the official university-list guide for the 2026-2027 academic year names all 30, per the Ministry of Education guide.
The official Al-Ruwad list: 30 universities in eight countries
| Country | Universities |
|---|---|
| United States | MIT, Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Caltech, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Chicago, Pennsylvania, UCLA, Johns Hopkins, Washington, Michigan-Ann Arbor, Carnegie Mellon, Washington University in St. Louis |
| United Kingdom | Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial College London |
| China | Tsinghua, Peking, Zhejiang |
| Canada | Toronto |
| Switzerland | ETH Zurich |
| Singapore | National University of Singapore |
| Japan | University of Tokyo |
| France | Paris-Saclay |
Source: the 2026-2027 university-list guide, Al-Ruwad page, Ministry of Education.
So where do the Australian universities appear?
Australian universities are approved by the programme, but on two other tracks: Research and Development per the Ministry of Education and Emdad per the Ministry of Education. Each track carries its own list per field of study. These are the Australian universities named in the 2026-2027 guide:
| Track and field | Australian universities |
|---|---|
| Research & Development · Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics | Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, UNSW, Macquarie |
| Research & Development · Information and communication technologies | Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, UNSW, Adelaide, Macquarie |
| Research & Development · Engineering, manufacturing and construction | Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, RMIT, Macquarie |
| Research & Development · Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary | Monash, Tasmania, James Cook, La Trobe, Murdoch, Macquarie |
| Research & Development · Social sciences, journalism and information | Sydney, Monash, UNSW, Macquarie |
| Emdad · Arts and humanities | Sydney, Monash, UNSW |
| Emdad · Business, administration and law | Sydney, Monash, UNSW, RMIT, Macquarie |
| Emdad · Information and communication technologies | Sydney, Monash, UNSW, Macquarie |
| Emdad · Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary | Sydney, Monash, RMIT, Deakin, Curtin, Griffith |
Source: the 2026-2027 university-list guide, Ministry of Education. The lists are revised for every admission cycle, so check the guide for your own year before choosing a university.
If Australia is your destination, your route into the scholarship is the Research and Development path or the Emdad path, depending on your field and degree level — not Al-Ruwad.
Al-Ruwad admission conditions
The offer must come from one of the 30 universities on the programme list, and it must be final and unconditional, issued by the university’s own admissions office. The single exception is a country whose official language is not English, where a conditional offer tied to language study is accepted and the scholarship covers that language study, per the Ministry of Education.
Al-Ruwad applicants are also exempt from three general conditions that apply to other tracks: the age-30 ceiling for bachelor’s applicants, the bar on anyone who previously held a scholarship at the same level without completing it, and the bar on holding the same degree already being applied for, per the Ministry of Education.
How to apply to Al-Ruwad
- Secure a final, unconditional offer from one of the 30 listed universities, per the Ministry of Education.
- Register through the Safeer scholarship portal or the national GOV.SA service and select the Al-Ruwad path.
- Upload the required documents, the official offer letter first among them.
- Wait for the application review and confirm you meet the path conditions and the competition policy.
- Receive the scholarship decision once every condition is satisfied.
If you are aiming at one of the 30 universities on the Al-Ruwad list, start with the unconditional offer. If your destination is Australia, your path is Research and Development or Emdad. Either way, register your details and the KD team will help you plan the admission steps, or contact us with your questions.
Frequently asked questions
No. The 2026-2027 Al-Ruwad list holds 30 universities across eight countries and Australia is not one of them. Australian universities are approved on the Research and Development and Emdad paths.
Thirty institutions, including MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, Tsinghua, Peking, Toronto, ETH Zurich, the National University of Singapore, the University of Tokyo and Paris-Saclay.
The Research and Development path or the Emdad path, depending on your field and degree level, because the Australian universities appear on those lists rather than on Al-Ruwad.
Per the 2026-2027 guide: Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, UNSW, Adelaide, Macquarie, RMIT, Tasmania, James Cook, La Trobe, Murdoch, Deakin, Curtin and Griffith, varying by track and field.
Yes. The offer must be final and unconditional from the university’s admissions office, unless the country’s language is not English, in which case a language-conditional offer is accepted.
Al-Ruwad applicants are exempt from the age-30 ceiling that applies to bachelor applicants on the other tracks.
Yes. The general conditions allow government and private-sector employees to apply when they meet the path conditions.
Official sources
- مسار الرواد — شروط المسار — وزارة التعليم
- الشروط العامة للتقديم والابتعاث — وزارة التعليم
- الدليل الاسترشادي لقوائم الجامعات 2026-2027 — وزارة التعليم
- مسار البحث والتطوير — وزارة التعليم
- مسار إمداد — وزارة التعليم
Ready to start?
KD International helps you choose a university, prepare your admission and visa file, and answers your questions about Saudi scholarships and studying in Australia. Apply now or message us on WhatsApp.
Last updated: 15 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.
