Some 2,500 scholarships are available for Saudis wishing to study in the US in different fields, an official at the Ministry of Higher Education has announced. Speaking to Arab News, Saad A. Al-Hagan, manager of public relations at the ministry, said scholarships were available for bachelor's, master's or PhDs in medicine, including nursing, pharmacy, engineering, computer science, basic sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry), law, accounting and e-commerce. He said the decision to offer the scholarships was a result of Crown Prince Abdullah's recent visit to the US. Those eligible are Saudis who have been admitted to a recognized American university and have a valid visa. They can either download the application from the ministry's website or collect it from the ministry. "The ministry will pay an amount equal to $1,200 per month if the recipient is a bachelor, and more for married students. Other expenses will also be covered such as a round-trip ticket and a monthly incentive depending on the student's grade point average (GPA)," Al-Hagan said. He thanked the US for expediting the issue of visas and said the measure would go a long way to allowing more students to study in the US. According to earlier reports, the ministry has also made arrangements with a number of universities in Canada and Europe for sending Saudi students there for higher education. Official statistics show that the number of Saudi students studying abroad is 15,516. Of that number, 6,744 are on government scholarships while the remainder are studying at their own expense. In addition to the United States, there are Saudi students in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria, Japan, China, Russia, Canada, Australia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
