Business, finance and economics in Saudi Arabia for international students 2026/27: every program, scholarship and price

122 programs on Study in Saudi · 41 tuition-free · 21 on a full scholarship · management, accounting, finance, economics, marketing, HR, supply chain, tourism · paid bachelor's from 20,000 SAR a year

إدارة الأعمال والمالية في السعودية

After Sharia and medicine, business is what we are asked about most: "I want to study management or finance in Saudi Arabia — is it really free?" We exported every program of the 2026/27 intake from the official Study in Saudi portal and picked out everything in business, finance, economics and related fields that is open to internationals: 122 programs at 17 institutions. The short answer: yes — 41 programs are tuition-free, 21 of them on a full scholarship. Unlike medicine, the core bachelor's degrees themselves are free here — management, accounting, finance, economics. But the full scholarship requires the SAT, and without tests the teaching is almost always in Arabic. Below — every university, every field, the exact scholarship package, paid prices and master's degrees.

The essentials: business and finance in Saudi Arabia for international students

• 41 of 122 programs are free. 31 free bachelor's programs, all at public universities: King Saud, Princess Nourah, Umm al-Qura, King Abdulaziz and Qassim.
• Full-scholarship bachelor's — 16 programs, all in Riyadh: King Saud University (8, SAT 1010+, age 17–25) and Princess Nourah University (8, women only, 98%+ average, SAT 1330, IELTS).
• No tests — Umm al-Qura, Qassim and KAU. Tuition-free with a stipend and flights, but the language is Arabic (Arabic and English at KAU).
• Not just "business": accounting, finance and investment, economics, actuarial science, insurance, fintech, Islamic finance, MIS, marketing, HR, supply chain, tourism and hospitality.
• Paid bachelor's — 20,000 SAR to 103,512 SAR a year. The cheapest are BPC in Buraydah (20,000 SAR, in Arabic) and the public University of Jeddah (26,105 SAR, Arabic + English); Jeddah's two-year diplomas are 13,225 SAR a year.
• Master's and PhD: 21 + 6 programs, 10 free. The best are KAU (full scholarship) and Qassim (MBA, accounting, finance with housing).
• 35 of 41 free programs are open to women, 30 to men.

Fields: what exists and where it is free

All 122 programs by field. The last column lists the universities where the field is available tuition-free.

Bachelor's on a scholarship: every free program (31)

The main list for those holding a school certificate. "Full" — tuition, housing, monthly stipend, flights and medical care; "partial" — tuition-free, with the rest as stated. Each block's header shows the package, who is admitted, language and tests; a program is tagged only where it differs.

Universities: who fits where

King Saud University (Riyadh) (8 programs)

The main target for strong applicants: 8 full-scholarship bachelor's programs — management, marketing, accounting, finance, economics, MIS, agricultural economics and operations research (the last three men only). Taught in Arabic and English, 4.5 years including the preparatory year. Strict conditions: SAT 1010+, age 17–25, no more than five years since school, no prior bachelor's.

Princess Nourah University (Riyadh, women only) (8 programs)

8 English-medium programs on a full scholarship: management, marketing, HR, supply chain, accounting, economics, financial economics and fintech. The strongest package for women — and the highest bar on the portal: a 98%+ school average, SAT 1330 or ACT 29, AP Calculus AB 4 or ACT Math 29, IELTS 5+.

Umm al-Qura (Makkah) (8 programs)

The widest choice with no tests: 8 bachelor's programs — business administration, marketing, accounting, finance and investment, economics, risk management and insurance, actuarial science, tourism and hospitality. Taught in Arabic, men and women. Package: stipend, flights, medical care; no housing per the portal, but in practice Umm al-Qura often houses admitted internationals. The arrival ticket is not reimbursed — one ticket a year is provided.

King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah) (2 programs)

Two bachelor's programs: "Economics & Administration" (a faculty-level entry; the major is usually chosen after the first year) and tourism. Arabic and English, no tests, stipend, flights and medical care. Per the portal the university is not obliged to house students, but in practice it often does. KAU's real strength is full-scholarship master's and PhDs (see below).

Qassim University (Buraydah) (5 programs)

A "Business & Economics" preparatory-year entry (separate programs for men and women), actuarial mathematics (both) and operations research (women). Taught in Arabic; the university's Arabic test and an interview are required, plus a science-track certificate for actuarial mathematics. Men get housing, women do not.

Paid bachelor's: prices by university (56)

If the free options do not fit your language or scores — here is what the paid route costs, cheapest first. Price is tuition per academic year, excluding housing and flights (≈ 3.75 SAR per US dollar); "whole degree" is the most affordable option multiplied by duration. At BPC, Mustaqbal and Sulaiman Al-Rajhi the portal labels programs "partial scholarship" — that is a discount, not a scholarship. Effat University is a women's university.

* Prince Mugrin and the University of Business and Technology (UBT) list a price that is almost certainly for the whole program, not per year: Prince Mugrin's 292,400 SAR, for instance, is exactly 8 semesters of 36,550 SAR. The figure in brackets is our per-year estimate. Confirm with admissions.

** "Marketing and Digital Media" (PMU) is listed at 69 SAR — an obvious typo; PMU's other bachelor's programs cost 69,000 SAR a year.

Full program lists per institution, diplomas included:

Master's and PhD: 21 + 6 programs, 10 free

For those who already hold a bachelor's. Free — KAU on a full scholarship (master's in accounting and Islamic finance — up to age 30; PhDs in business administration, accounting and economics — up to 35; IELTS 5–6 almost everywhere), Qassim (MBA, accounting, finance — with housing, stipend and flights, GPA 3/4+), Islamic economics at the Islamic University of Madinah and agricultural economics at King Faisal University. The most affordable paid MBA is PMU at 46,000 SAR a year. Expand a university to see its programs.

What this means in practice

1. You have SAT 1010+ (or can sit it). Put all 8 King Saud University programs in your application — a full scholarship with housing in Riyadh. Women with a 98%+ average and SAT 1330 — also Princess Nourah's 8 English-medium programs.
2. No tests, but you have Arabic. Umm al-Qura — 8 programs with no tests, from management to actuarial science; Qassim (Business & Economics preparatory year, actuarial mathematics) and KAU (economics & administration, tourism).
3. You need English and have a budget. University of Jeddah — 26,105 SAR a year at a public university; Al Yamamah (Riyadh, Al-Khobar) from 36,800 SAR; PMU (Al-Khobar) at 69,000 SAR. The shortest and cheapest entry is a two-year University of Jeddah diploma at 13,225 SAR a year.
4. You hold a bachelor's. Free master's — KAU (full scholarship) and Qassim (MBA, finance, accounting with housing). PhDs in business administration, accounting and economics — KAU, on a full scholarship.
5. One application — 25 programs. Combine: King Saud (with an SAT) + Umm al-Qura + Qassim + KAU + 1–2 paid options as insurance. The portal adds programs throughout the window — if new ones appear, we will update this article and post on Telegram.

The full list of scholarship programs in this intake is in "Saudi Arabia scholarships 2026/27: all free-tuition programs"; documents and filing in the Study in Saudi guide; health administration in the medicine breakdown. University profiles are in the university catalog.

Why apply with Yusr

Because we treat every applicant individually. Before filing, we send you the full list of universities and programs we intend to apply to, wait for your approval — and only then submit. No surprises in the application: you see and confirm every one of the 25 programs.

FAQ: business and finance in Saudi Arabia for international students