Saudi Scholarship Programmes: Full Guide to All Pathways

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The Saudi scholarship system is not a single programme. It’s an umbrella covering several parallel programmes and pathways, each with its own responsible authority, eligibility criteria and approved universities. If you’re looking for the right route for you, you first need to know where you stand among these pathways before opening the application form.

What scholarship pathways are currently available?

The Ministry of Education runs the King Salman Scholarship Program "برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث" for external scholarships, the largest and oldest umbrella. The Ministry of Culture separately manages the Cultural Scholarship "الابتعاث الثقافي", specialising in arts and creative disciplines. Alongside these are sub-pathways such as employment-linked scholarships, scholarships for teaching assistants and lecturers (academic staff), and self-funded study with ministry approval.

The official King Salman Scholarship Program pages on the Ministry of Education website indicate the programme is divided into four core pathways: Al-Ruwad, Research and Development, Emdad, and Wa’ed Ministry of Education. However, the "Apply for Scholarship" service page on the same site lists six pathways, adding the Al-Tamayoz (Excellence) pathway and the health agreements pathway Ministry of Education. It’s likely that Al-Tamayoz was added later and not all pages were updated equally, so we recommend checking the updated page for your specific pathway directly before applying.

Almost all applications for these pathways go through the Safeer 2 electronic platform run by the Ministry of Education Safeer Platform – Ministry of Education, which is also the channel used to track your application after submission.

What’s the difference between Al-Ruwad, Emdad, Research and Development, and Wa’ed?

Each of these four pathways targets a different category of students based on study level, field of study, and university ranking. This difference is what determines which pathway you should choose.

Al-Ruwad (Pioneers) pathway Al-Ruwad aims to send students to the top 30 educational institutions in the world, for bachelor’s and master’s degrees, with a direct, unconditional offer Ministry of Education. This means you won’t need a language condition or a preparatory course before starting your academic programme, and the university must be within the top 30 globally according to approved rankings.

Emdad pathway Emdad extends to the top 200 universities and institutes worldwide, focusing on fields with high demand in the Saudi labour market, for completing bachelor’s or master’s degrees Ministry of Education. This pathway is broader than Al-Ruwad in terms of the number of available universities, but more specific in terms of accepted fields of study.

Research and Development pathway The Research and Development pathway targets PhD level specifically, aiming to send students to the top 200 educational institutions worldwide in priority fields that contribute to research and development in the Kingdom. It requires a final, unconditional offer from a university listed under this pathway Ministry of Education. You can check the list of approved universities and fields for this pathway directly via the Safeer 2 portal before applying.

Wa’ed pathway and employment-linked scholarships The Wa’ed pathway targets promising sectors and fields according to national requirements and major projects and initiatives, including employment-linked scholarship programmes implemented in cooperation with entities such as the Ministry of Media and the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources Safeer Platform – Ministry of Education. In this type of scholarship, the student is employed by the sponsoring entity before starting their studies, and their scholarship is linked to returning to work for that entity after graduation.

Al-Tamayoz (Excellence) pathway Applications for the fourth cycle of Al-Tamayoz for the 2024-2025 academic year opened with 23 specialised fields across more than 70 universities worldwide, starting 3 December 2023. The Ministry has clarified that applications remain open all year with no specified closing date Al-Riyadh newspaper. What distinguishes this pathway is its focus on pre-defined specialised fields, rather than a single university list covering all specialisations.

If you’re looking for a flexible pathway and need help choosing the right specialisation and university among these pathways, you can register with the KD International team to explore your options.

What is the Cultural Scholarship run by the Ministry of Culture?

The Cultural Scholarship "الابتعاث الثقافي" is a separate programme run by the Ministry of Culture, dedicated to arts and creative fields not necessarily covered by the Ministry of Education’s pathways. It operates through three sub-pathways: self-funded students, students with prior offers, and new applicants wishing to study, and was launched via an electronic platform on 19 January 2020 SPA (Saudi Press Agency).

The programme covers fields such as archaeology, design, museum studies, music, theatre, filmmaking, literature, visual arts, and culinary arts Ministry of Culture. Total Cultural Scholarship decisions through the fifth batch reached 437 students, with the fifth batch alone including 78 students: 76 under the prior-offer pathway and just two under the self-funded pathway Ministry of Culture. This gives you a sense of the programme’s scale compared with the much larger King Salman Scholarship Program.

What about scholarships for academic staff and self-funded study?

Alongside the pathways above, there are scholarship channels aimed at specific groups: academic staff on one hand, and those wishing to study with their own funding while gaining scholarship benefits on the other.

Scholarships for teaching assistants and lecturers Eligibility for academic staff scholarships (teaching assistants and lecturers) includes admission to one of the top 50 universities worldwide, or the top 50 universities specifically in the field of study, plus medical fellowship programmes Saudi Scholarship account (X). Because approval for this type of scholarship is usually issued by the college or university council the staff member belongs to before being forwarded to the Ministry, it’s best to check directly with your university’s scholarship deanship for the latest approved terms and lists.

Self-funded study (student affiliation) If you’re studying with your own funding and want to join an official scholarship to benefit from its perks, the affiliation rules require prior Ministry of Education approval, good conduct, medical fitness, no prior dismissal from a previous scholarship, and that the field of study and university are recommended and within the top 200 universities, with recommended university lists updated as of January 2024 Ministry of Education. Because eligibility and lists for this pathway may be updated periodically, it’s best to check the Ministry’s page directly when applying to confirm the latest approved details.

Quick comparison table of pathways

Pathway	Responsible authority	Target universities	Note
Al-Ruwad	Ministry of Education	Top 30 universities worldwide	Direct, unconditional offer Ministry of Education
Emdad	Ministry of Education	Top 200 universities and institutes	High-demand fields Ministry of Education
Research and Development	Ministry of Education	Top 200 educational institutions	PhD level only Ministry of Education
Al-Tamayoz	Ministry of Education	70+ universities	23 specialised fields, fourth cycle Al-Riyadh newspaper
Wa’ed / employment-linked scholarship	Ministry of Education with government entities	Depends on sponsoring entity	Linked to employment after graduation Safeer Platform
Cultural Scholarship	Ministry of Culture	Multiple, depending on sub-pathway	Arts and cultural fields only Ministry of Culture
Scholarship for teaching assistants and lecturers	Ministry of Education / universities	Top 50 universities worldwide or in field	Academic staff only

What are the general eligibility requirements?

Whatever pathway you choose, there are shared general requirements that must be met first. General scholarship eligibility includes: Saudi nationality, medical fitness, a direct unconditional offer with or without a language/preparatory course, not already holding a qualification at the same level from within or outside the Kingdom, and studying full-time with actual residence in the scholarship country Ministry of Education.

In practice, this means you need a ready university offer before applying for the scholarship in most pathways, not the other way round. This is a point many first-time applicants get wrong.

How do you apply via the Safeer 2 platform?

All applications are submitted electronically via the Ministry of Education’s Safeer 2 platform, and the process follows consecutive stages starting with updating your personal profile and ending with confirming your nomination and issuing the scholarship decision.

1. Update your personal profile electronically on the Safeer platform, including personal details, address, previous qualifications, and aptitude and language test results National Platform my.gov.sa.
2. Fill in the scholarship application form once your profile is complete.
3. Track your application status via the "My Requests" icon on the platform.
4. Confirm your nomination once you receive the initial nomination email.
5. After confirming your nomination, additional electronic services open up, including financial guarantee for admission purposes, issuing the scholarship decision, the embassy letter, the criminal record letter, the security fingerprint report letter, and the hospital letter Ministry of Education.

If you have questions about any of these steps or need help preparing your offer file before applying on Safeer, you can check the practical steps page on the KD International website.

What financial benefits do scholars and dependants receive?

Alongside covering tuition fees, scholars receive a monthly stipend and allowances that vary depending on the country of study and allowance category. King Salman previously approved paying a financial reward of USD 2,000 to all scholarship students in all countries worldwide, as well as to self-funded students at recognised universities, in March 2018 Asharq Al-Awsat.

For Australia specifically, the Saudi Cultural Mission’s website states that the monthly allowance for a Category A scholar is AUD 5,606.25 Saudi Cultural Mission to Australia. We recommend checking the current figure and the category that applies to you directly on the Mission’s website, as these allowances may vary by category and be updated with exchange rate changes from time to time.

Allowance payments begin from the date of arrival in Australia or the date the decision is issued, whichever is later, provided this doesn’t precede the start of studies by more than one month Saudi Cultural Mission to Australia. As for dependant allowances (spouse and children), these are only paid if the dependants are actually present at the scholarship location with the scholar Saudi Cultural Mission to Australia.

An important point for scholars in Australia: there is no Australian income tax on the stipend and allowances paid by the Cultural Mission to the scholarship student, as this is treated as income sourced outside Australia Saudi Cultural Mission to Australia.

Is Australia an approved scholarship destination?

Yes, Australia is listed among the approved scholarship destination countries under the King Salman Scholarship Program Ministry of Education. Financial and legal matters for scholars there are handled by the Saudi Cultural Mission attached to the embassy. The list of approved Australian universities varies by pathway (Al-Ruwad, Emdad, Al-Tamayoz, or Research and Development). The most accurate way to check which universities are approved under your specific pathway is to search directly via the "University Search" tool on the Safeer 2 platform, or to contact the Cultural Mission before choosing your university Safeer Platform – Ministry of Education.

If you’ve already decided on Australia as your study destination and need help matching your field of study with an approved university under your pathway, you can register with KD International, or contact us directly to discuss your pathway options.

Practical summary

Before opening the Safeer 2 application form, first determine which pathway suits your study level and field: Al-Ruwad if you’re targeting the top 30 universities, Emdad if your field is in high demand, Al-Tamayoz if your field is on the specialised list, or the Cultural Scholarship if your field is arts- or culture-related. The next practical step is confirming you have a direct, unconditional university offer before applying to any pathway. This is the condition that stops most applications when it isn’t met beforehand.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث الخارجي — وزارة التعليم
• خدمة سفير الإلكترونية — المنصة الوطنية my.gov.sa
• خدمة التقديم على الابتعاث — وزارة التعليم
• مسار الرواد — وزارة التعليم
• مسار إمداد — وزارة التعليم
• منصة سفير 2 — وزارة التعليم
• مسار التميز – النسخة الرابعة — جريدة الرياض
• شروط الابتعاث — وزارة التعليم
• ضوابط ومراحل الابتعاث — وزارة التعليم
• إطلاق منصة الابتعاث الثقافي — واس (وكالة الأنباء السعودية)
• برنامج الابتعاث الثقافي — وزارة الثقافة
• إجمالي قرارات الابتعاث الثقافي — وزارة الثقافة

Last updated: 14 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.