A recent report on Saudi students in the United States by World Education News and Review (WENR) found that Saudis studying in the U.S. have increased by 20% in the last year and often apply to a wider range of schools other than the elite institutions that are a typical focus of international applicants.
The report in WENR by Bryce Loo is full of interesting information on Saudi students in the U.S derived from World Education Services (WES) data.
“Our analysis shows that a diverse and sometimes surprising set of institutions have seen significant growth in their Saudi student populations,” Loo writes.
Other findings by the report:
• At over 38,000 students in 2013/14, Saudi Arabia was the leading country of origin for Intensive English Programs in the U.S., supplying roughly 30% of all students to these programs.
•Despite coming from a strongly Muslim country, many Saudi students apply to and attend Christian-affiliated institutions. Thirty-six percent of the top 25 institutions for WES Saudi applicants had a Christian denominational affiliation, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, United Methodist, and Seventh-Day Adventist.
•National data also show that Saudi Arabia is the top country of origin among international students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), though these institutions have often struggled to attract international students.
King Salman in the United States in September 2015.
More data, as well as a podcast on the subject, can be found here at this link.
The King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP) was extended until at least 2020, and upon visiting the United States in September 2015, HRH King Salman extended the KASP to include all Saudi students in the United States. Previously, the scholarship only covered those who had applied to be in the program, and not those studying at U.S. institutions on their own dime.
The extension followed a meeting with a group of Saudi Arabian students in Washington with the Cultural Attaché.
