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An Innovative Government Case Study
Educating Saudi and the World
King Abdullah Scholarship
Program, Ministry of Education
Launched in 2005, the King Abdullah
Scholarship Program currently sponsors over
150,000 Saudi students in higher education
programs in 23 countries, with over 110,000
students and dependents in the United States
alone. It is one of the largest human capital
development initiatives in history, and ushers
in a new diplomacy with thousands of Saudi
students building country relationships. The
Program is set to accept new applicants u ntil
2020, so a significant cohort of students will
be completing their studies abroad until at
least 2025.
Introduction
The Program was launched at a difficult moment for Saudi
Arabia, just a few years after the 9/11 attacks in the
United States. Several of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi
nationals, and 66 percent of Americans had an
unfavorable view of Saudi Arabia in 2004.i King Abdullah
chose to address this problem head-on by sending Saudis
out into the world to act as ambassadors for their
country, religion, and values.
The Program was launched soon after a meeting between
then-Crown Prince Abdullah and former U.S. President
George Bush at Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas in 2005.
In a statement after the meeting, both leaders pledged to
undertake new initiatives to promote better relations,
including programs to “increase the number of young
Saudi students to travel and study in the United States.”ii
In this way, Saudi youth would gain a world-class
education, and develop international relationships while
simultaneously educating the world about Saudi Arabia.
The Program was likewise intended to mitigate the
unemployment and underemployment that the high
number of Saudi youth portended. A staggering 50
percent of Saudi Arabia’s population is under age 25,iii
and King Abdullah was determined to invest in the youth
and in their future.
The King Abdullah Scholarship Program covers
undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional
higher education degrees (i.e. medical school). Students
receive a full-tuition scholarship, a living stipend, and
health insurance. Participants receive up to two years of
language education in the host country before beginning
their academic studies. The Program also covers travel
home to Saudi Arabia once a year.iv Participants who
successfully complete a degree are eligible to apply for an
“upgrade” and receive a scholarship for a degree at a
higher level.
Students can choose their major but are encouraged to
complete degrees in specializations that the Ministry of
Education deems integral to Saudi Arabia’s future.
Suggested
concentrations
include
business
administration, medical and natural sciences,
engineering, and law. Through the Program, students
gain world-class academic training and multilingual
capabilities in addition to developing international
networks of friends, colleagues, and mentors. There are
indications that the Program has begun to have a
transformative effect on Saudi society since it began ten
years ago, and that it will likely have an important impact
on the economy.
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An Initiative of Prince Sultan University
Educating Saudis, Educating the World: King Abdullah Scholarship Program
Program Goals
The stated goals of the Program underscore the
multifaceted aspects of what King Abdullah hoped it
would achieve:
1. Provide the Saudi labor market with a qualified
and specialized workforce.
2. Allow students to master modern scientific and
business methods from world-class institutions,
and to bring them back to the Kingdom.
3. Offer the opportunity of high-quality education
to all Saudis who seek it.
4. Promote cultural communication between the
Kingdom and the outside world.v
These goals have been achieved, and the success of the
program can also be seen in a number of related factors:
1) The ability of the Ministry of Education to rapidly scale
up the program from a small base and number of
countries in 2005. 2) An expansion of the role of the
Cultural Missions to oversee such a large number of
students overseas. 3) Greater educational and economic
opportunities for Saudi youth of all classes. 4) Shifting
ideas about gender roles. 5) Unprecedented crosscultural exchange among Saudis and foreigners. 6) The
creation of a unique network bound together by a
formative shared experience.
In economic terms, the Program is designed to address
the dearth of skilled Saudi workers in vital and emerging
fields. In social terms, the Program seeks to both immerse
Saudi youth in international cultures, and to help foreign
societies gain a more accurate and nuanced
understanding of Saudi society. The broad ambitions and
the scale of the Program are indicative of Saudi Arabia’s
commitment to play an active role in the global
community and to continue its economic and education
modernization efforts.
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Results
Rapid Scaling Up From 2005-2015
One of the most remarkable successes of the King
Abdullah Scholarship Program is the magnitude at which
it has grown since its inception ten years ago. Describing
the Program as merely one of the world’s largest
government-sponsored scholarship programs would be
an understatement.
The Ministry of Education budgets more than 9 billion
SAR ($2.4 billion) per year to fund the program.vi When it
began in 2005, the program sent approximately 6,000
students to the United States. In 2015, over 150,000
Saudis are studying in 23 countries. Roughly 11 percent
of all Saudis currently pursuing higher education are
studying abroad, a level of academic internationalization
unseen in other countries.vii
The Program is immensely popular among Saudi youth
which is the primary reason it has grown exponentially.
Students encourage one another to apply both through
word of mouth and via social media. Moreover, siblings
and relatives often apply to the Program after someone
from their family gets a scholarship. After all, it is easier
to live abroad in a new setting with family members. The
presence of relatives abroad likewise helps youth
convince their parents to let them leave home. In Saudi
Arabia, where families are often communal and reluctant
to let children move far away, this is no small
consideration, and it helps explain why the parents of so
many Saudi youth have allowed and in many cases
encouraged their children to seize the opportunity the
Program offers.
The U.S. Cultural Mission’s Assistant Attaché for Cultural
and Social Affairs, Dr. Mody Al-Khalaf, (the first Saudi
woman to hold such a senior position at a Cultural
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Educating Saudis, Educating the World: King Abdullah Scholarship Program
Mission.viii ) is an eloquent advocate for the global
benefits of the Program:
“The Scholars are breaking stereotypes and building
bridges. They are taking every opportunity to teach about
their country whether it’s one-on-one or in classrooms, in
clubs, or off campus. They are teaching about our attire,
even the controversial abaya or the beautiful jalabiya,
sharing our food, and showing the world how to write in
our language. They’re contributing with volunteer
community service, sharing their compassion and their
experiences. They are also raising the Saudi flag high and
proud, alongside all the other flags they interact with.”ix
Student Services: Expanding the Role of the
Cultural Missions
The rapid increase in the number of scholarship students
created new challenges in terms of managing those
students’ academic and administrative needs. Saudi
Arabia’s Cultural Missions across the world are tasked
with providing academic guidance to these students and
ensuring their compliance with Program guidelines,
adherence to academic standards, and compliance with
university administrative rules and national laws. The
Missions, however, have faced difficulty providing
services in a timely fashion in the early years of the
Program. Cultural Missions track student progress,
examine transcripts and degree plans, and approve all
travel and transfer requests. The Cultural Missions also
identify underperforming students, place them on
probation, and remove them from the Program if they fail
to improve their grades.
The Cultural Mission in the United States had a small staff
in 2005 and prior to that when only a few thousand Saudis
studied abroad. Today it manages over 110,000 students
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and their dependents with a permanent staff of over
300.x Indeed, the staff size of the Cultural Mission grew
so rapidly that it required an entirely new building. In
June 2011, the Cultural Mission moved from its former
office in the Watergate Complex in downtown
Washington, D.C., which it had occupied since 1988, to a
modern, custom-built headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia.
The new building is far more cost-effective and suited to
the Mission’s needs.xi
Despite taking on more staff, the Cultural Mission still
needed a way to streamline responses to student
requests. In 2008, faced with a backlog of administrative
requests from students, the Ministry of Education began
developing Safeer, specialized management software...
Safeer is a powerful database and online interface that
tracks student progress toward degrees. The portal also
connects students with their Cultural Mission advisors
allowing them to process requests more efficiently. The
software, which was launched in 2011, has singlehandedly alleviated administrative bottlenecks that were
commonplace for students. Indeed, Safeer is a prime
example of one innovative program spawning other
innovations.
Promoting Equality of Opportunity
Another noteworthy aspect of the Scholarship Program is
its inclusion of youth from diverse socio-economic
backgrounds. The generous financial support offered by
the Program makes it possible for Saudis of all classes to
study abroad. Moreover, the Program offers financial
support for dependents and provides incentive bonuses
for academic achievements. In this way, the Program
attempts to ensure that all qualified students are given
the opportunity to access world class international
education, regardless of need.
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Educating Saudis, Educating the World: King Abdullah Scholarship Program
The Program’s inclusion of a broad range of youth, not
just the well-connected and wealthy, highlights the
Program’s potential to develop Saudi Arabia’s human
capital across the economic spectrum.xii
Shifting Gender Roles
One of the program’s most unique features is its impact
on opportunities for women in the Kingdom. Tens of
thousands of Saudi women are currently studying abroad,
a development unimaginable only a generation ago.
Approximately 23 percent (about 14,000) of scholarship
recipients in the United States are female.xiii Women’s
participation in the Program not only provides them with
the opportunity to study abroad but also has a deep and
lasting effect on the way Saudi men and women interact.
While studying abroad, the “cooperation and interaction
between Saudis of both genders, particularly in the
classroom, is significantly greater than would be typical in
Saudi Arabia.”xiv
Just as important, women studying abroad gain skills in
public speaking, management, and leadership. Many of
the women in the Program are ambitious and desire to
put their skills to use upon graduation.
Saudi men see the success of their sisters, daughters, and
cousins as they excel academically and are accepted into
prestigious degree programs. Moreover, “along with
working to earn advanced degrees and specialized skills,
many Saudi women are taking on responsibilities in the
United States that would not be possible at home.”xv All
of these experiences only increase awareness of the vital
contributions women can make to the workforce and to
human development in general.
Though it is difficult to quantify the kinds of effects the
Program is having on gender roles, it is undoubtedly
playing a role in creating new opportunities for women in
the Kingdom.
Stimulating Economic Diversification
As graduates of the Program return home with new skills,
a world-class education, and international networks,
there is an opportunity for transformative change to the
Saudi economy. Scholarship students can play a key role
in boosting Saudi Arabia’s economic vitality, both in the
public and private sectors. This will be crucial in building
Saudi Arabia’s post-oil economy, as diversification
beyond natural resources has been, and will continue to
be, a key goal of Saudi Development Plans.
One concern that observers have raised is whether the
Saudi economy will be able to absorb all the Program
graduates. As more and more students graduate, there is
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an ever growing influx of university graduates returning
to Saudi Arabia with expectations of meaningful jobs. To
address this concern, Saudi Cultural Missions across the
world host annual job fairs to facilitate student
internships and post-graduate employment.
The 2014 job fair in Washington, D.C., connected nearly
4000 graduating students with over 120 major employers
from a wide range of industries. These included major
corporations such as McKinsey and Company, Saudi
Aramco, and Boeing as well as major financial institutions
and Saudi public sector agencies. The Cultural Missions
have also begun to help place students in internships
while they are abroad where they can develop relevant
practical experience. Indeed, a number of students opt to
remain in the host country after graduation to gain
greater job experience.
Widening Horizons via Cross-Cultural Exchange
As mentioned previously, the Program is intended to be
as much a cultural exchange program as an academic
initiative. Students currently study in 23 countries and are
encouraged to represent Saudi Arabia as ambassadors of
their religion, country, and values. Though the majority of
Program participants choose to study in Western
countries such as the United States and the United
Kingdom, Saudis are also heading to Asian countries such
as China, Japan, and Korea. The number of Saudi students
in Korea has grown from 69 in 2008 to 444 in 2013.xvi
China likewise hosts a small but growing population of
approximately 1,300 Saudi students.xvii Students who
choose to study in Asian countries must become fluent in
the native language, and usually take most if not all of
their courses in that language. While Saudi Arabia has
nearly a century of ties with the West, expanding the
Scholarship builds future relationships with the East.
What is perhaps most innovative about the Program is it
simultaneously offers Saudi youth access to an
experience that will better prepare them for the future
while also exposing host countries to Saudis. It is not an
exaggeration to say that in many cases, the Program has
offered foreigners their first chance to meet a Saudi
national. Of course, not all of these interactions will be
positive, either for Saudis or for the foreigners. Still,
important conversations will occur, stereotypes will be
challenged, and in many cases both parties will learn a
great deal about each other. These global interactions are
vital for Saudi Arabia. For over the long term, the net
result will be increased business opportunities, enhanced
academic partnerships, and better understanding
between governments.
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Educating Saudis, Educating the World: King Abdullah Scholarship Program
However, there is one phenomenon that detracts from
the cultural exchange goals of the Program. Anecdotal
evidence suggests that many Saudis abroad tend to selfsegregate, living with other Saudis and befriending
primarily Arabic-speakers, making it more difficult for
them to truly immerse themselves in their host country’s
culture and develop ties to foreigners.xviii It is important
to point out that Saudis often do not wish to be isolated
from friendships with foreigners, but they face particular
challenges given Western anxieties and misconceptions
about Muslims and Saudis in particular. Saudi women,
who stand out in the West with their hijab coverings,
often encounter unsolicited comments regarding
women’s rights and religion.
As uncomfortable as some of the cross-cultural
interactions may be, they are part of the reason why this
Program is so essential, for it juxtaposes generalizations
with real people who can answer for themselves when
asked questions about religion, politics, and gender.
Because of the Program, countless Westerners meet
intellectually curious and ambitious Saudis and
reevaluate previously held stereotypes.
Safeer, the electronic platform that connects all the
students, offers Cultural Missions the capability to collect
this data.
The following data would shed further light on the results
of the Program:





Scholarship Students as a Unique Network
The formative experience of living in a foreign culture has
helped Saudis engage in internal cultural exchange that
rarely occurs inside the Kingdom. On Facebook, Twitter,
and other forms of social media, they connect with each
other, support each other, and share valuable advice.xix
One study suggests that this internal cultural exchange
has allowed Saudi students to cross the various
economic, tribal, and regional divides in the Kingdom by
fostering understanding and cooperation among diverse
student groups.xx
In the future, members of this network may work
together to undertake entrepreneurial and development
initiatives in the Kingdom since the network can draw on
the combined intellectual and experiential capacity of the
whole group.
Measuring Results and Future Direction for
Study
2015 marks the end of the first decade of the Program’s
existence. Now is an important moment to measure its
social and economic impact, especially since the Program
will be sending students abroad until at least 2025.
To truly measure the success of this Program, key
indicators must be collected to evaluate outcomes as
successive waves of graduates return to Saudi Arabia.
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



Program enrollment rates from 2015 to 2025.
Will enrollment continue to grow exponentially?
Graduation rates from 2005 to 2015. What
percentage of students successfully completed
degree requirements?
Employment rates for Program graduates. What
employment paths do graduates take and what
percentage of graduates are not employed a year
after graduation? What further training do
employers seek to make Saudi scholarship
graduates more attractive as employees?
Changes in employment rates and opportunities
for Saudi women. Is the Program affecting
women’s access to work and other
opportunities?
New businesses started by Program graduates.
Are
Program
graduates
harnessing
entrepreneurial skills learned abroad and starting
new companies or joining entrepreneurial firms?
Saudi perceptions of and attitudes towards host
countries. Is the Program having an impact on
Saudis’ attitudes towards foreigners and
Westerners in particular? Are Saudis staying in
touch with friends and contacts made abroad?
Host country perceptions of and attitudes
towards Saudi Arabia. Is the Program affecting
host countries and particularly Western attitudes
about Saudi Arabia?
Impact on Saudi universities. Has the high
number of Saudi students abroad added or
detracted from the ability to build higher
education capacity within Saudi Arabia?
Opportunities for further innovation. How can
Safeer be further developed to strengthen the
link between education and employment?
In terms of directions for future research, a Program of
this magnitude offers rich terrain. The key barometer of
success will be if scholarship students will activate new,
influential networks to advance business, academic,
governmental and social projects.
Very little research has been done on what happens when
scholarship students come home after years if not nearly
a decade abroad. In some cases, there may be reverse
culture shock. Researchers should pay close attention to
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Educating Saudis, Educating the World: King Abdullah Scholarship Program
how scholarship students reintegrate into Saudi society
while also watching to see if and how they shape the
future of their country by offering new perspectives and
fresh ideas on a wide range of issues.
Omar Maatouk and Stefanie Hausheer Ali
March 2015
King Abdullah’s vision in starting the Program was that
scholarship students would return home changed and
would in turn create a bright future for the Kingdom. As
more and more graduates return home, the Program’s
full impact will become clearer, but there are already a
number of positive results with important implications
for the Kingdom’s future.
i
http://www.gallup.com/poll/161372/egypt-favorable-ratingslips-two-decade-low.aspx
ii
U.S. Department of State. “Joint Statement by President
Bush and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.” 25 April 2005.
<http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/45327.htm>
iii
Arab News. “Growing Youth Population in Saudi Offers
Economic Potential.” 22 August 2013.
<http://www.arabnews.com/news/462135>
iv
Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission. Student Handbook.
<http://www.sacm.org/pdf/studentsguide_english.pdf>
v
"‫برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين لالبتعاث الخارجي‬." ‫برنامج خادم الحرمين‬
‫الشريفين لالبتعاث الخارجي‬.” 2 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.mohe.gov.sa/ar/studyaboard/King-Abdullahstages/Pages/default.aspx>.
vi
ICEF Monitor. “Enormous Saudi Scholarship Programme
Extended to 2020.” 27 February 2012.
<http://monitor.icef.com/2012/02/enormous-saudischolarship-programme-in-the-spotlight/>
vii
Statistical Summary of Students According to Higher
Educational Level, 1433-1434.Rep. Ministry of Higher
Education, Deputyship for Planning and Information. Web.
<http://www.mohe.gov.sa/ar/Ministry/Deputy-Ministry-forPlanning-and-Information-affairs/HESC/Ehsaat/Docs/b14331434-1-1.html>
viii
Ibid
ix
Saudi-US Relations Information Service. “Education and
Development in Saudi Arabia: Women as Agents of Future
Change.” Remarks by Dr. Mody Al-Khalaf. 29 January 2011.
<http://susris.com/2011/01/31/education-and-developmentwomen-as-agents-of-change/>
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This case study is part of our
continuing series on Innovative
Saudi Government Programs
‫محمد األمير‬. “ ‫الملحقية الثقافية السعودية في أمريكا تتجه إلنشاء مبنى جديد‬
‫خارج واشنطن‬.” 7 December 2009.
<http://www.alriyadh.com/479495>
xi
Zeigler, Lucien. “The Saudi Cultural Mission’s New
Headquarters.” Saudi-US Trade Group. 24 July 2012.
<http://sustg.com/new-sacm-headquarters-in-virginiaprovides-modern-hub-for-saudi-students-in-the-unitedstates/>
xii
LeBaron, Richard, and Stefanie Hausheer. "Americans Must
Do More to Welcome Saudi Scholarship
Students." U.S. News & World Report. 1 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/worldreport/2013/03/01/americans-must-do-more-to-welcomesaudi-scholarship-students>.
xiii
2013 figures. Does not include female dependents.
xiv
Hall, Terry R. "Saudi Male Perceptions of Study in the
United States: An Analysis of King Abdullah Scholarship
Program Participants." 2013. Western Kentucky University.
xv
Ibid
xvi
Hassan, Rashid. “More Saudi Students Opting for S. Korea.”
Arab News. 26 June 2014.
<http://www.arabnews.com/news/592371>
xvii
Chengwen, Li. “Saudi-Chinese Strategic Ties Reach New
Heights.” Arab News. 1 October 2014.
<http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/638001>
xviii
Hall, Terry R. "Saudi Male Perceptions of Study in the
United States: An Analysis of King Abdullah Scholarship
Program Participants." 2013. Western Kentucky University.
xix
See, for example: Saudis in USA website
(http://www.saudiusa.com/) and Saudis in USA Twitter
account (https://twitter.com/saudiinusa), which has over
119,000 followers.
xx
Hall, Terry R. "Saudi Male Perceptions of Study in the United
States: An Analysis of King Abdullah Scholarship Program
Participants." 2013. Western Kentucky University.
x
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