Saudi Arabia scholarships 2026/27: every university and program with free tuition — for men and women

Full and partial scholarships · 184 bachelor's and diploma programs · 10 universities · Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Buraydah, Arar

ادرس في السعودية

On 17 September 2026 we exported the complete program list of this intake from the official Study in Saudi portal and went through it line by line. The portal lists 1,329 programs. 654 of them are open to international applicants, 407 come with a scholarship, and 354 have fully free tuition: 123 on a full scholarship and 231 on a partial one. Below are all of them, university by university, each marked for whom it is open — men, women or everyone. This is not a marketing pick of "top universities"; it is the full list of what the portal offers right now.

For the country overview, the scholarship package and university profiles see studying in Saudi Arabia and the university catalog.

Full vs partial scholarship: what the package really includes

Every program on the portal carries a scholarship type — and each one also lists what the package includes. We summarized it by university. The key takeaway: "partial" on this portal does not mean "you pay for everything yourself". The vast majority of partial programs include a monthly stipend and flight tickets — what is usually missing is only university housing (Umm al-Qura says it outright: no university housing; if it becomes available, it is assigned by availability).

✓ — listed on the portal for all of the university's bachelor's and diploma programs; "k of n" — only for some. The portal does not publish stipend amounts — on public tracks expect from ~840 SAR (~$250). The exact package is confirmed in the offer.

Admission tests. At bachelor's and diploma level only two universities on the list require them: King Saud University — SAT of at least 1010 (plus age 17–25 and no more than five years since high school), and Princess Nourah University — on 15 programs SAT 1330 / ACT 29, ACT subject or AP tests, IELTS 5 / TOEFL and a high-school average of 98 %+; on the rest an average of 95 %+. Umm al-Qura, Qassim, Imam, Jouf, Northern Border and King Abdulaziz require no tests for bachelor's (King Abdulaziz master's programs ask for IELTS). Such programs are marked in the "Tests" column of the tables below.

One more detail from the export: the portal also lists "partial scholarships" at private colleges where 20,000–48,000 SAR a year remains after the discount. Those are not in this list — only programs with zero tuition are.

The map of this intake: who offers what

"Men" and "Women" show how many programs each can apply to (shared + gender-specific). Next, each university on its own, with the full list of bachelor's and diploma programs. Master's and PhD tracks are mentioned in one line each — we go through those individually.

Full scholarship: universities and programs

King Saud University — Riyadh

The Kingdom's oldest and largest university, in Riyadh. This intake offers a full scholarship for bachelor's degrees: engineering, sciences, accounting, finance, management, architecture. Most tracks are for men; women have several options in the sciences and design.

34 bachelor's and diploma programs (11 open to all, 20 men only, 3 women only):

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University — Riyadh

The world's largest women's university, in Riyadh. A full scholarship for bachelor's degrees, women only — and the widest choice for female applicants this intake: Arabic (including a diploma for non-native speakers), IT, business, accounting, languages, sciences.

27 bachelor's and diploma programs (women only):

Jouf University — Skaka

Sakaka, in the north of the Kingdom. Added to the portal on 17 September — two full-scholarship bachelor's programs, both for men: Sharia and a Scientific Engineering Track (in English). One of the few full-scholarship Sharia options in this intake.

2 bachelor's and diploma programs (men only):

Northern Border University — Arar

Arar, in the north of the Kingdom. Only two programs, but both are exactly what many of our students come for, and both on a full scholarship: Arabic for non-native speakers and Islamic studies. Open to men and women.

2 bachelor's and diploma programs (2 open to all):

King Abdulaziz University — Jeddah

Jeddah, the country's second-largest university. The full scholarship here is graduate-only — 58 master's and PhD programs (engineering, sciences, finance, design). Bachelor's tracks are on the partial scholarship with free tuition — see the section below.

The university also lists 42 master's and 16 PhD programs for international students (mostly engineering, sciences, finance, design & art) — we cover those one-to-one with graduate applicants.

Partial scholarship (free tuition): universities and programs

Umm al-Qura University — Mecca Al Mukarama

Makkah, next to the Grand Mosque. The largest list of this intake: 92 programs, 51 of them bachelor's and diplomas. The complete line of Sharia sciences (Sharia, aqidah, Quran and Sunnah, da'wah, qira'at), Arabic linguistics, and alongside them IT, artificial intelligence, architecture, accounting, economics. Almost everything is open to both men and women.

51 bachelor's and diploma programs (43 open to all, 5 men only, 3 women only):

The university also lists 28 master's and 13 PhD programs for international students (mostly islamic, education, sciences, humanities & social) — we cover those one-to-one with graduate applicants.

Qassim University — Buraida

Buraydah, Qassim region. The university runs separate male and female intakes, which is why most rows below carry a mark. Sharia (three tracks), Arabic, English and translation, computer science, actuarial mathematics, architecture, design, sciences.

49 bachelor's and diploma programs (23 men only, 26 women only):

The university also lists 21 master's and 7 PhD programs for international students (mostly humanities & social, islamic, education, engineering) — we cover those one-to-one with graduate applicants.

Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University — Riyadh

Riyadh. One of the leading Islamic universities in the world. Few bachelor's tracks are open, but they are the core ones: Sharia, Usul al-Din, Arabic language — plus a diploma in teaching Arabic. Open to men and women.

4 bachelor's and diploma programs (4 open to all):

The university also lists 12 PhD programs for international students (mostly islamic, arabic language, law) — we cover those one-to-one with graduate applicants.

King Abdulaziz University — Jeddah

Jeddah, the country's second-largest university. The full scholarship here is graduate-only — 58 master's and PhD programs (engineering, sciences, finance, design). Bachelor's tracks are on the partial scholarship with free tuition — see the section below.

12 bachelor's and diploma programs (11 open to all, 1 women only):

Islamic University of Madinah — Almadinat Almunawara

Madinah. Important: in this intake the portal lists no bachelor's programs for international students — only master's, PhD and higher diplomas, men only: Sharia, hadith, tafsir, da'wah, Arabic linguistics, plus a few modern tracks (cybersecurity, data science, physics, chemistry). If your goal is a Madinah bachelor's, we recommend applying to Umm al-Qura, Imam and Qassim now and watching for Madinah's next window.

3 bachelor's and diploma programs (men only):

The university also lists 20 master's and 10 PhD programs for international students (mostly islamic, arabic language, education, humanities & social) — we cover those one-to-one with graduate applicants.

King Faisal University — Al-Ahsa

Al-Ahsa. One master's program in finance.

The university also lists 1 master's programs for international students (mostly finance) — we cover those one-to-one with graduate applicants.

What matters in this particular intake

• Islamic University of Madinah — no bachelor's. This is the question we get every day. In this window the portal opens only master's, PhD and higher diplomas at Madinah, men only. A Sharia bachelor's in Madinah cannot be applied for through Study in Saudi in this intake.
• For women the best entry is Princess Nourah University (full scholarship, 27 programs), plus Umm al-Qura, Qassim and King Abdulaziz on free tuition. In total 131 bachelor's and diploma programs are open to women.
• For men the core is Umm al-Qura, Imam, Qassim (Sharia and Arabic, free tuition), King Saud University (full scholarship, engineering and sciences) and, new this intake, Jouf University (full scholarship: Sharia and an engineering track). In total — 124 programs.
• Arabic for non-native speakers is available on a full scholarship at Northern Border University (Arar), and on free tuition as diplomas at King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah), Imam University (Riyadh) and Princess Nourah University (women).
• Tests are required only at King Saud University (SAT) and Princess Nourah University (SAT/ACT + IELTS, 95–98 % average). Without test scores, aim at Umm al-Qura, Qassim, Imam, Jouf, Northern Border and King Abdulaziz.
• Qassim runs separate intakes. The same program there has two separate streams — male and female. We add the one that is yours.
• The list is alive. The portal itself says programs are being added and updated continuously. We re-export the list and update this article during the window.

How to build a 25-program application

The portal limit is 25 programs per applicant. Using all of it is not greed, it is strategy: each program is decided by its university, and the more strong matches with your profile, the higher the chance of at least one offer — and often several to choose from.

1. Fix the field and the level. Sharia and Arabic, IT, economics, engineering — or a combination: for example, Arabic for non-native speakers as a first year plus Sharia.
2. Mix full and partial scholarships. Full bachelor's programs are fewer and more competitive. Partial ones with free tuition are a real chance to study in Makkah or Riyadh if the family can cover living costs.
3. Mix cities. Makkah, Riyadh, Buraydah, Jeddah, Arar — every university has its own committee and its own response time.
4. Check the language and the requirements. Some King Saud programs run in Arabic and English; some tracks are men-only or women-only.

We maintain this list as a working tool: exported from the portal, cleaned of duplicates and of paid "partial" programs, grouped by field and gender. That is why selecting and adding all 25 programs to a client's application takes us minutes rather than an evening of manual searching through the portal catalog. The filing itself goes through the official Study in Saudi account, on your behalf.

FAQ: Saudi Arabia scholarships 2026/27

Documents and filing

The document set, scan requirements, what the scholarship covers and how the official portal works — all of it is in our article "Study in Saudi is open: apply by 6 October 2026". In short: passport, school certificate or degree with translation, photo, medical certificate, recommendation letters — and your Yusr application form, from which we build the case.