KAUST Fellowship 2027/2028

About this scholarship

KAUST in Saudi Arabia gives its admitted master's and PhD students the KAUST Fellowship. It covers tuition, a yearly stipend, housing on campus, health insurance and relocation costs. There is no separate scholarship application: you apply for admission and the fellowship comes with it. Fall 2027 applications are open until 3 January 2027.

Funding type

Full tuition and bench fees (up to $35,000 a year) Stipend: $20,000 a year for master's students, $25,000 to $30,000 a year for PhD students Free housing on campus: shared for single students, 2 bedrooms for married students Health insurance for you and your family living on campus Relocation support: visa, moving and travel costs when you first come and when you go home after graduating Students with outside sponsorship may not get the fellowship

Tuition fees

Covered

Living costs

Covered

Travel

Covered

Insurance

Covered

Eligibility requirements

Nationalities

All nationalities

Residence condition

No residence condition

Open to all nationalities For a master's: a bachelor's in a related subject For a PhD: a master's in a related subject (professional master's degrees are not treated the same) GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4 or equivalent. Most admitted students have more than 3.3 At least 18 years old when you start Programmes are in science and engineering (17 subjects), such as computer science, electrical engineering, chemistry, bioscience and applied mathematics

Minimum grade

Not stated

Work experience asked for

Not stated

Return condition

Return condition not stated

How to apply

With the admission application

Language requirements and exemptions

Language test required IELTS 7 TOEFL iBT PTE Academic 71 Cambridge English 185 Waiver possible

Teaching is in English. Accepted tests: IELTS 7 overall with 6.5 in each part (IELTS Online accepted), TOEFL iBT 5 overall with 4.5 in each part (Home Edition accepted), PTE Academic 71 with 67 in each part, or Cambridge C1/C2 185 with 176 in each part. Scores are valid for 2 years. Duolingo and medium of instruction letters are not accepted. You don't need a test if you studied your degree in person in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand.

University admission details

Admission included in application?

Spring 2027 was for PhD only and closed on 27 September 2026. Fall 2027 (master's, master's/PhD and PhD) is open from 28 September 2026 to 3 January 2027, with decisions on 14 February 2027. Admissions checks your file, a faculty committee makes a shortlist, and shortlisted applicants have an online interview with faculty. Classes start on 29 August 2027. KAUST says these dates may change.

Required documents

Transcripts from every university you attended CV Statement of purpose (about 750 words) Contact details of 3 referees (university or work emails only) English test result Passport copy GRE or PGAT score (optional)

Application steps

Choose a programme on admissions.kaust.edu.sa. Apply on apply.kaust.edu.sa before 3 January 2027. Upload your documents in English and add your 3 referees. Ask them first so they are ready to send their letters. If you are shortlisted, you will get an online interview with faculty. Decisions come out on 14 February 2027.

Requirement checklist

Scholarship contacts

KAUST Admissions: Contact form (opens in a new tab)

Universities and contacts