Academic Agreements

Specialized and tailor-made agreements between universities during which students are awarded the KAUST Fellowship.

Dual Master

Students come to KAUST in their second year of study in an M.S. degree to attend courses and receive credits for graduation after passing the qualification exam. Students entering the Dual Master then enroll for the KAUST Ph.D. program.

Accelerated Master (3+2 program)

At the end of the first semester of the third year, undergraduate students from the partner university can apply internally for nomination in the 3+2 program at KAUST to complete their undergraduate education. Upon successfully completing year four in the KAUST 3+2 program and all requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree from the partner university, students receive a Bachelor’s Degree in their chosen major from the partner university. During year five, students accepted into the KAUST 3+2 Program attend KAUST and complete the M.S. degree requirements for their chosen major. Upon successfully completing the requirements for the KAUST 3+2 Program degree, students receive a M.S. degree from KAUST.

Exchange Programs

Under this Agreement, KAUST hosts students from the partner university for research or study internship. Moreover, a determined number of KAUST students can also apply to spend some time at the partner university.

Ask us anything

Duration

Case specific
* Exact duration of the program is discussed with the partner university

Eligibility

Completed 3 years of under-graduate education (3+2 Program) or the first year of M.S. education (Dual Master, Exchange Program) in a suitable program at partner university.
Be selected by the partner university for application to the Specialized Program.
Have achieved an academic performance of 3.3/4 or 75% / 100% on overall courses.
TOEFL score of 79 on the IBT (Internet Based Test) or 6.0 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).

Benefits

Dual Master students will be awarded the KAUST Fellowship during the full period of residence while the Accelerated Master students will be awarded a fellowship for 4th and 5th year. KAUST Fellowship includes:

Paid tuition at KAUST
Monthly living allowance ($20,000 annually)
Medical & dental insurance
Housing
Relocation allowance
Annual repatriation allowance
Students accepted by KAUST into the Exchange Program will be awarded the VSRP benefit package during the period of residence. KAUST students accepted into the Exchange Program will be supported by the KAUST Fellowship during the period of residence at partner university.

To receive the fellowship the student must remain in eligible academic standing and comply with all rules, regulations, and policies found in the KAUST student handbook.

Requirements

Successfully passing Ph.D. coursework
Designating an academic advisor
Successfully passing a qualifying exam (if applicable)
Passing the dissertation proposal defense

Application timeline

Applications due-date for Specialized Agreement is discussed with the partner university and defined in the Agreement.

Download flyer

Karolinska Institutet (University in Solna, Sweden)

Who’s eligible?

KI Master of Science students studying Biomedicine or Life Science, can take part in a full-time, for-credit research internship at KAUST, under the BESE division.

Number of students/Duration of program

KAUST faculty will host up to three students to participate in VSRP for one academic semester or summer session (4 to 6 months).

Process

KI students will be responsible for selecting the preferred proposal and contacting the faculty proponent. A final draft of the VSRP project will be jointly developed by the KAUST faculty and the KI Student, and will be discussed with the KI academic representatives for approval. KI Committee will make the final decision on project approval.