Study in Saudi is open: free scholarship applications 16 September–6 October 2026

Semester two · fully funded scholarships · bachelor, master, and PhD · up to 25 universities on the official “Study in Saudi” portal

ادرس في السعودية

The window YUSR Education exists for is open. The Study in Saudi platform is accepting applications from international students for the second semester: 16 September to 6 October 2026. It is a short window — three weeks — in which you can apply to public universities in the Kingdom on a fully funded scholarship: tuition, housing, medical cover, and a monthly stipend.

If you were waiting after a first-semester rejection, this is your new chance. If you spent the summer preparing documents, this is submission time. If you have only just learned that an international student can study in Saudi Arabia for free, this is the full briefing: what is open, what the scholarship covers, which documents you need, how the official portal works, and what Yusr does so you are not left alone with the deadline.

What Study in Saudi is

Study in Saudi (Arabic: ادرس في السعودية) is the official platform of the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for international applicants. It is not an agency website and not a grey scheme. Applications go to public universities through one government portal.

YUSR Education does not award scholarships and does not guarantee admission. We prepare your file, open your account, translate documents, and submit on this official portal — among the first after registration opens. The university and the ministry make the decision.

In one campaign you can choose up to 25 universities: Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, and campuses across the Kingdom. Levels: bachelor, master, and PhD. Fields range from Sharia and Arabic to IT, engineering, economics, law, and medicine-related pathways (depending on the university).

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the land of the Two Holy Mosques. For thousands of students this is not only a “free degree,” but study where the message was revealed, on campuses where classmates come from more than 170 countries.

What the free Saudi scholarship covers

On covered public tracks, the package for an admitted international student is one of the strongest in the region. Exact benefits depend on the university and the intake rules, but the typical picture is:

• Tuition. On scholarship tracks, study at a public university is tuition-free for the admitted international student.
• Stipend. Typically from about 840 Saudi riyals a month (~$250) — real monthly support, not only a zero tuition line.
• Housing. Where the campus provides student housing, the dorm is often part of the package. If there is no dorm, Yusr explains nearby options early. Gender and room rules vary — we check before you apply.
• Medical cover. Student healthcare removes one of the biggest family worries abroad. The exact model (university clinic or insurance) depends on the campus.
• Flights. Some universities include airfare. It is not universal: we confirm case by case for your shortlist.
• Language. Study in Arabic, in English where the campus offers that track, or start with Ma’had / Arabic prep if the language is not yet ready for the degree.

The full destination briefing, package, and campuses: Study in Saudi Arabia and the universities catalogue.

Who can apply

The platform is for international students: final-year school students, graduates, bachelor holders going for a master’s, and applicants aiming at a PhD. Exact age and academic limits are set by each university and programme — Yusr checks them before submission, not after a rejection.

The profile we use in counselling:

1. You are not a Saudi citizen (this track is for international applicants).
2. You hold an education document at the right level: secondary certificate / college, bachelor, or master diploma — depending on the degree you want.
3. Your files are readable: clean scans, every diploma page in one PDF, a photo on a white background.
4. You have not been dismissed from an institution for academic or disciplinary reasons. If that history exists, say so immediately: hiding it does not work.
5. You are fit to study; some universities ask for a medical certificate not older than six months.
6. For Arabic programmes — readiness to study in Arabic, or to take Ma’had / a language test. For English tracks — the language the university requires, if it requires one.

What you can study: modern fields

Saudi campuses are no longer only “an Islamic university in the desert.” Alongside Sharia sciences they offer modern majors with international recognition:

• IT and computer science
• Artificial intelligence
• Cybersecurity
• Engineering
• Business and economics
• Law
• International relations
• Medicine-related pathways — by university
• Arabic language and Islamic studies
• And many more across campuses in the Kingdom

On the site you can filter programmes by level, language, and scholarship. If you do not know where to start, message Yusr: we will sketch your profile and suggest universities that actually fit — not “all 25 at random.”

Islamic sciences on the land of the Two Holy Mosques

The Kingdom’s unique advantage is religious knowledge where it began.

Makkah — the Kaaba, Hajj, Islamic faculties beside the Sacred Mosque. Madinah — Masjid an-Nabawi, Hadith and Sunnah schools; the Islamic University of Madinah welcomes students from around the world on scholarship tracks.

Students study Qur’an and Tajweed, Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Aqidah (Ahl al-Sunnah), and Arabic as the language of the Qur’an — often alongside a modern university major, not instead of one.

• Qur’an and Tajweed
• Tafsir and usul al-tafsir
• Hadith and usul al-hadith
• Fiqh and usul al-fiqh
• Aqidah (Ahl al-Sunnah)
• Arabic as the language of the Qur’an

Separately, the Islamic University of Madinah also runs a distance bachelor’s in Sharia with a scholarship from the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Waqf. That is a different track and a different calendar — we covered it in the IU online Sharia bachelor article. Do not confuse it with in-person applications through Study in Saudi in these three weeks.

Arabic, Ma’had, and language pathways

Many strong programmes are taught in Arabic. If your Arabic is not ready yet, that is not always a stop: some universities offer a preparatory path — Ma’had (an Arabic institute for non-native speakers) or a language test, then the degree.

The Islamic University of Madinah has clarified this year that students admitted to the Institute for Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers will spend the first academic year remotely, then, if they meet the requirements, can come to Madinah. That update is for students who already received that offer — details in the news on the remote Ma’had year.

While the scholarship competition is running, you can also strengthen Arabic with Yusr Academy: the Madinah course (Bayna Yadayk), separate groups for brothers and sisters, grammar explained in Russian, Azerbaijani, Tajik, or English. The Academy does not replace a Study in Saudi application — it helps you not arrive on campus from zero.

Documents for a Study in Saudi application: required, and what strengthens the file

A weak photo and a broken PDF are a common reason a strong applicant looks weak. Scan every page cleanly and merge diploma pages into one PDF.

Required for a complete application:

1. Photo on a white background, 4×6
2. Certificate / diploma (college, bachelor, or master) — all pages in one PDF
3. International passport
4. Police clearance certificate

Strongly recommended — not decoration, but what actually raises your chances:

• Medical certificate not older than 6 months
• Recommendation letter (tazkiya) from a teacher, sheikh, or organisation
• CV / résumé — Yusr can prepare this
• School character reference
• Achievements: certificates, awards, competitions
• Language certificates (Arabic / English / other)
• Qur’an memorisation certificate
• Any other document that strengthens the file

How the official application works

Applications for Saudi public scholarships go through the Study in Saudi portal, not “straight to admissions by email.” The typical chain:

1. A personal account is created on the platform.
2. Personal data, education, and preferences are entered: level, major, universities.
3. Documents are uploaded — in the right format and set.
4. The application is sent to the chosen institutions (up to 25).
5. Status is tracked in the account: under review, offer, rejection.
6. If you receive an offer, the next stage begins: confirmation, visa, arrival, housing, classes.

Dates on the platform can be updated. Always confirm them in the Study in Saudi account itself. The window announced now is 16 September – 6 October 2026.

What Yusr does — from the first message to the result

Applying “with Yusr” is not a subscription to a miracle. It is the full path the site describes as one service, not a stack of paid checkboxes.

The main service includes:

• translation of core documents;
• account registration and collection of application data;
• pre-registration and submission of documents;
• priority queue — submission among the first after registration opens;
• consultations throughout the process;
• accompaniment until the result;
• visa help if you are admitted through Yusr.

While the window is open, the path looks like this:

1. You message us — WhatsApp, Telegram, or the site form. We put you on the Saudi universities track.
2. We collect documents. Required and recommended. We tell you what is missing while there are still days before 6 October.
3. We open the account. A Study in Saudi profile, preferences: major, level, universities.
4. We translate. Core documents are in the package, not a last-minute upsell.
5. We submit. On the official portal. The aim is not “sometime in the window,” but as early as possible, while universities are only starting to read files.
6. We stay until the answer. Statuses, questions, what to do if one university rejects you and another is silent.

After you register, consultations stay free: ask when something becomes clear, or when it does not. We do not disappear after the translation is paid.

Track page: Study in Saudi for free. About the company and what is included: About us and Education services.

After an offer: visa, airport, first days

Submission is only the first half of the path. For many families the student visa is the hardest stage. If you are admitted through Yusr, visa support is part of the accompaniment — not a separate surcharge for the good news.

• help with the student visa;
• airport meet and greet when needed;
• first steps after arrival: dormitory, SIM card, orientation;
• advice on studies and life in the Kingdom;
• if needed — a visit to the university on your behalf: to clarify information or resolve an organisational question on site.

Students write about exactly this: not only “they translated my certificate,” but that they were walked from application to moving into the dorm. One testimonial from Umm Al-Qura University: the team was there at every stage — “you do not only guide a student — you also give moral support until the very end.” Another, from Prince Sattam University: pickup from the airport and help with the dormitory, when without Arabic they could not have managed the journey alone.

That is the site’s promise: from documents to the first class. Not a guaranteed diploma — guaranteed accompaniment.

If you were rejected in the first semester

Most applications without an offer were moved to “Rejected” so the platform could open semester two. That hurts, but it is not a verdict that you do not belong here.

1. Do not delete your account. Keep the platform letter.
2. Re-read your documents: scan quality, completeness, tazkiya, certificates, photo.
3. Strengthen the file with what was missing last time — even one strong recommendation can make the file look different.
4. Apply again in this window, under semester-two rules.
5. If you do not want to fight the portal alone — message Yusr. We will review what was in the last file and build a new one.

Twenty-one days: what to do this week

The window runs from 16 September to 6 October. This is not “we can still do November.” A practical order if you start today:

1. Day 1. Message Yusr. Send your passport, diploma, and a short note: which level, which field, male/female, where you are applying from.
2. Days 1–3. Finish the required set: 4×6 photo on white, police clearance, every diploma page in one PDF.
3. Days 2–7. Recommended extras: tazkiya, medical certificate, CV, awards, language certificates, hifz certificate.
4. In parallel. Study in Saudi account, preferences, translation of core papers.
5. Submission. As soon as the package is complete — we send it. Do not wait for the evening of 5 October.
6. After sending. Watch the account. Do not post passwords or university ID numbers in chats.

If submission does not take place for technical reasons on the side of the platform, the ministry, or the provider, the offer agreement transfers the application to the next intake: the payment is kept and credited. That is not a reason to delay. A technical failure is the exception; the window closing on 6 October is the rule.

Other Yusr paths if Saudi is not your only plan

The whole site is built around free scholarships through official portals. The Saudi window is why you should write this week. Other tracks remain beside it:

• Al Qasimia University, Sharjah (UAE). A separate portal and a separate intake. Full scholarship: tuition, housing, insurance, monthly stipend around 1,500–2,000 AED. Age and certificate recency are stricter than on many Saudi tracks. Al Qasimia track.
• Turkey and Qatar. Destinations Yusr counsels on; Turkey is marked on the site for the next intake. Do not mix their dates with 6 October.
• Yusr Academy. Arabic (Bayna Yadayk) while the competition runs, or so you arrive on campus with language already started.
• Yusr Travel. Visas and trips to the Kingdom outside the student track — another company in the same family.

If you are torn between Madinah and Sharjah — write. One honest counselling session is better than two thin applications.

How to start today

You do not need to “scan everything perfectly alone first.” Message us — and we will tell you what you personally are missing.

• Apply page: Study in Saudi with Yusr
• WhatsApp: +7 993 921-94-76
• Telegram: @yusr_edu
• Instagram: @yusr_edu
• Community chat: t.me/yusr_chat
• Site form: the contact section

More than 100 students have already been admitted with our support. Applications come from 15+ countries. Filing is only through official portals. Accompaniment runs from the scan of your certificate to the key to a dorm room, in sha Allah.