Full Program Details
Most graduate offers make you choose between a great lab and a living wage. KAUST, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on the Red Sea coast, asks for neither trade. It is a research university built around funded graduate study, and its Fall 2027 application round is open now.
KAUST says more than 90 percent of admitted students receive full tuition support, and the KAUST Fellowship adds a living stipend, housing, health cover and relocation help.
Admitted students receive the KAUST Fellowship: tuition and bench fees paid in full (valued at up to USD 35,000 a year), a stipend of USD 20,000 a year for MS students and USD 25,000 to 30,000 a year for PhD students, plus housing and health insurance.
Details at a glance:
- Host: KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Levels: Master's (MS), combined MS/PhD, and PhD
- Intake: Fall 2027, classes start on 29 August 2027
- Round 2 window: opened 28 September 2026, closes 3 January 2027
- Decisions: 25 February 2027
- Funding: the KAUST Fellowship, awarded with admission
- Spring 2027 is PhD only, and its round closed on 27 September 2026
What It Covers
- Tuition and bench fees, paid in full, valued at up to USD 35,000 a year
- A stipend of USD 20,000 a year (MS) or USD 25,000 to 30,000 a year (PhD), depending on qualifications and progress
- Base housing on campus: shared for single students, two-bedroom for married students
- Health insurance for students and eligible dependents living on campus
- Visa, relocation and travel costs for the move to KAUST and the trip home after graduation
KAUST describes the programme as fully funded on its admissions site. There is no separate scholarship form on the pages we checked: you apply for admission, and funding comes with the offer.
Who Can Apply
- MS applicants need a bachelor's degree in a relevant subject from a recognised institution. PhD applicants need a master's degree in a relevant subject. Professional master's degrees are not treated as equivalent, so declare one if you hold it.
- You must be at least 18 on entry.
- The minimum GPA is 3.0 on a 4-point scale or equivalent. KAUST says about 90 percent of admitted applicants are above 3.3 and 75 percent above 3.5, so treat 3.0 as the floor, not the target.
- English: IELTS 7.0 overall with at least 6.5 in each section, PTE Academic 71 with at least 67 in each section, or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency at 185 with at least 176 in each section. KAUST's page lists a TOEFL iBT figure that looks like a typo, so confirm it with KAUST before you book that test. A degree taught in person in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand exempts you.
- KAUST does not accept Duolingo (except for visiting students), medium of instruction certificates or TOEFL MyBest scores.
- The pages we checked state no nationality limit, so applicants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and elsewhere can apply.
How to Apply
- Pick your programme and supervisor interests on the KAUST admissions site and check the entry requirements.
- Open the online application at admissions.kaust.edu.sa. Round 2 for Fall 2027 closes on 3 January 2027.
- Upload official transcripts from every institution, a CV, a statement of purpose of about 750 words and a copy of your passport photo page.
- Enter three referees using academic or professional email addresses. Personal emails are not accepted, and requests go out as soon as you enter them, so confirm each referee first.
- Submit your English test score if you have one. GRE or PGAT scores are optional.
- Your referees have seven calendar days after the deadline to submit their letters. You do not upload letters yourself.
KAUST marks these dates as tentative and says they may change with application volume, so recheck the timeline page before you plan around 3 January.
Selection Timeline
- 28 September 2026: Round 2 opens
- 3 January 2027: Round 2 deadline
- 25 February 2027: decisions released
- 29 August 2027: Fall 2027 semester starts
GizPulse Verdict
Who this is for: Graduates in science, engineering, computing, maths and related fields who want a funded master's or PhD at a well-resourced research university, and who already have an English test score or an exemption.
Who should pause: Anyone below a 3.0 GPA, or without a recognised English score and no time to sit one before January. A late English result is the most common reason a strong file stalls.
One tip to stand out: Treat the statement of purpose as a research pitch. Name the KAUST faculty whose work you want to join, state the question you would work on, and show one piece of past work that proves you can do it. Ask your referees early, because their letters are due a week after the deadline and a slow referee can sink the file.
Compare other funded study routes in our Full Ride Scholarships for International Students list, the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and the ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship.
Read the full rules and apply on the official KAUST admissions site.
