Saudi Arabia's Government Scholarships Beyond Madinah for ASEAN Muslim Students

Saudi Arabia's scholarship system is bigger than Madinah

Islamic University of Madinah gets most of the attention among ASEAN Muslim applicants because it built its identity around international Islamic education. It is not the only option. Most Saudi public universities admit non-Saudi students under the same government scholarship framework run by the Ministry of Education, through general academic programs rather than only religious studies.

How the general scholarship framework works

Saudi Arabia's public university scholarships come in three forms: full scholarships with comprehensive benefits, partial scholarships covering specific costs such as tuition or housing, and paid grants with reduced coverage, according to the Ministry of Education . Apply through an internal pathway if you already reside in Saudi Arabia, or an external pathway if applying from abroad, which covers most ASEAN applicants.

Standard age limits apply across the system: 17 to 25 for bachelor's and Arabic track programs, up to 30 for master's and up to 35 for doctoral applicants. You need a valid passport well beyond your travel date, a clean medical exam, security clearance, and you must not hold another Kingdom government scholarship at the same time. External scholarship recipients receive healthcare coverage for themselves, and in some cases family members, a financial reward on arrival, housing provisions, annual return flight tickets and full access to campus facilities.

King Saud University: Saudi Arabia's largest general university

King Saud University in Riyadh is one of the Kingdom's largest and most comprehensive public universities, offering scholarships across diploma, bachelor's, master's, doctoral and research fellowship levels in engineering, medicine, business, sciences and humanities alongside its religious studies faculties. Unlike Islamic University of Madinah, King Saud University's scholarship track is not limited to Muslim applicants studying religious subjects and is open to a wider range of nationalities and fields. Apply through the university's own international admission channel or through the national Study in Saudi Arabia platform.

Umm Al-Qura University: Islamic studies inside Makkah

Umm Al-Qura University sits in Makkah and combines Islamic law and Arabic language faculties with general programs in engineering, medicine, education and business. For ASEAN students who want the experience of studying in Islam's holiest city while keeping options open beyond religious studies, Umm Al-Qura offers a middle path between Islamic University of Madinah's religious focus and King Saud University's general academic scope.

Other Saudi universities that accept ASEAN scholarship applicants

King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah runs one of the Kingdom's larger international scholarship intakes, with strong engineering, medicine and business faculties and the practical advantage of sitting in Jeddah, the main gateway city for pilgrims and international travelers. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran focuses specifically on engineering, computer science and petroleum related fields, and draws applicants who want a technical degree rather than a broad humanities offering.

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh sits closer to Islamic University of Madinah in mission, combining Sharia and Arabic language faculties with general programs, and gives you a Riyadh-based alternative to Madinah or Makkah if you want Islamic studies inside the capital.

How to choose between them

Applying: what stays the same across all three

• Apply free of charge, directly through the university or the Study in Saudi Arabia portal , never through a paid agent

• Prepare certified copies of your secondary school certificate or prior degree, transcripts and passport

• Expect a medical exam and security clearance before your visa is issued

• Confirm the current academic year's application window directly with the university, since dates shift every cycle and differ by degree level

What to check before you pick a university

Contact each university's international admission office directly to confirm current program availability, current benefit amounts and whether your intended field is taught in Arabic or English. Program language matters more at general universities like King Saud than at Madinah, where Arabic is the default across nearly every faculty.

Ask specifically whether your chosen program runs in Arabic, English, or a mix, since this affects whether you need an Arabic preparatory year on top of your degree timeline. Engineering and medicine programs at King Saud University and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals often run partly or fully in English, while Sharia and Arabic language faculties across all Saudi public universities teach in Arabic.

Documents to prepare regardless of which university you choose

Every Saudi public university scholarship route asks for broadly the same paperwork: an attested secondary school certificate or prior degree, official transcripts, a valid passport with enough validity remaining, passport photos meeting the specified format, and a clean medical report. Get your school certificate attested by your home country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi embassy before you apply, since this step causes the most delays for ASEAN applicants who leave it until after acceptance.