World-class
undergraduate programs
Unsurpassed
pre-professional
opportunities
Immersive study
abroad experience
Committed advisors
A vibrant academic
community
Cultural experience
Access to KAUST’s
premier faculty and
resources
The opportunity to
contribute to KAUST’s
bold global mission
THE KGSP

Foundation Year Arrivals

10/01/2017

Every August, the KGSP scholarship advising team welcomes all new students to their U.S-based academic programs with a series of arrival orientations:  From airport pick-up to settling into new apartments, Advisors help students acclimate to their new surroundings.  This is followed by a two-day KGSP Arrival Orientation, which provides extensive academic, social, cultural, financial, and logistical informational programming.  Building off of the tools learned during July’s Pre-Departure Orientation, Arrival Orientations ensure that KGSP recipients have the tools necessary for success as they begin their academic pursuits in the U.S.   

For more information on this year’s ninth cohort of KGSP recipients, please visit:

Arrival Orientation Spotlight: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The 15 new KGSP students studying this year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Foundation Year Program arrived excited for their next adventure.  Upon landing, they were immediately intrigued by their new home in the American Midwest, complete with farms full of corn fields and an entirely different climate than that of Saudi Arabia!   Students spent their first days in the U.S. learning about the local area, shopping for essentials, and getting to know their KGSP advisors and peers through a series of fun interactive activities like tours, team-building, and welcome dinners.  By the time Arrival Orientation programming began, students were prepared and eager to start the next phase of their academic journey.  

Shopping for new-apartment essentials!


Appartment Essentials

Students and Advisor participating in orientation activities

 

Students and Advisors Participating in Orentation Activities 1

Students and Advisor participating in orientation activities 2

Students take a library tour during orientation to learn about campus resources.

 

Library Tour

KGSP advisors lead students on tours of the university and its neighboring area to introduce important on-and off-campus resources.

 

Tour 1

Tour 2

Group welcome dinner!

 

Welcome Dinner

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STUDENT PROFILE 

KGSP students represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s future scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and thought-leaders. As both individuals and as a community, they reflect the KAUST mission of driving scientific discovery through excellence in education and cutting-edge research, and share a commitment to fostering innovation, economic development, and social prosperity throughout the Kingdom and the world.  

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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Selection to the KGSP is extremely competitive, and currently by invitation only. Successful applicants are Saudi Arabian students in their final year of high school who demonstrate impressive academic credentials within STEM fields, meaningful extra-curricular achievements, and who share the KAUST ethos of continuous discovery.  Learn more here.

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KGSP ADMINISTRATION

The KGSP is administered by KAUST Academy under the leadership of Dr. Sultan Al-Barakati. KAUST Academy is mandated by KAUST to support the acceleration of Saudi Arabia's knowledge-based economy by providing world class training programs in emerging technologies aligned with Vision 2030. KAUST Academy crafts these unique learning interventions by exporting the intellectual DNA acquired by KAUST for the benefit of the entire Kingdom.