Government of Saudi Arabia

Government of Saudi Arabia Scholarship Program provides Saudi Arabian students the means to attend the best world universities to pursue studies that lead to degrees (bachelors, master’s and doctorate) and medical fellowships. Academic disciplines and scholarships are selected on the needs of Saudi government ministries, national corporations and the private sector. This selection aims to fulfill the requirements of work markets across the Saudi Arabia Kingdom in regions, universities and industrial cities.

As determined by the Saudi Ministry of Education, the following programs are open to scholarship students for Master's and PhD programs:

Engineering and Computer Science programs
Life Science programs (e.g. Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Neurosciences, etc.)
General Science programs (e.g. Chemistry, Physics, Math, Biology)
Medicine, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences programs
Law and Legal Studies programs
Economics, Business Administration and Finance programs

English as a Second Language (ESL) studies, including Renison University College English Language Institute's intensive English for Academic Success (EFAS), are also covered by the scholarship. Learn more about the EFAS program.

The Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Canada was established to meet the educational needs of Saudi students wishing to pursue their higher education in Canadian Universities and Technical Colleges.

Saudi Arabia graduate student application information

Minimum admission requirements include a Very Good standing overall. Certification of English language proficiency (ELP) through one of the accepted examinations is required. Learn more about ELP requirements.
The University of Waterloo may offer conditional admission to academically admissible students that require further English language studies to meet the English language requirements. Decisions are made by the department/program applied to.
Completion of intensive English language study may take you up to two or three terms to achieve the English language level necessary for admission to an academic program.
If you require intensive English for Academic Success (EFAS) studies, apply for a future term to begin your graduate academic program. For example, you will need to choose an admit term for your academic program at least two terms after the start of your EFAS studies.
Review the English Language Institute, English for Academic Success (EFAS) website.
Indicate on your resume or supplementary information form regarding your English language status; for example "currently in Canada studying English as a Second Language".
Contact the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Canada for scholarship information and assistance.

Applying to Waterloo

Within the Other Information section of the graduate online application, under International Agreements, choose your sponsorship agreement from the drop-down menu.
If your scholarship agreement is not among those listed, choose “Other scholarship” from the drop-down menu.
Some agreements provide a preliminary sponsorship or scholarship letter. If applicable, email a pdf copy to gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca. Remember to include your full name and your 8 digit (numerical only) Waterloo student ID number.
If you are applying with a sponsorship that includes funding for English language studies, conditional admission may be offered. Learn more about sponsorships with English Language Training.

Important:

The sponsorship documentation must detail the approved program, financial support amount and the number of years the funding has been granted (a minimum of two years for a master’s research program and a minimum of four years for a PhD program).
Please refer to Arranging your fees with a third-party sponsorship on the Finance website for the information required in the official sponsorship documentation. If there is any change in your funding situation, the University of Waterloo may re-evaluate your Offer of Admission, and reserves the right to withdraw your Offer of Admission or withdraw you from your graduate program.

Contact

For further information contact the Manager, Graduate Admissions at gradadmissions@uwaterloo.ca.