Next steps

After You Are Admitted to KAUST: From Offer Letter to Thuwal

The Fellowship details sit in the offer. Then onboarding starts — typically in November for Spring entry and May for Fall — with 8–12 weeks of attestation, medicals and visa work for international students.

ScholarshipUnion Editorial 4 min read Updated Oct 6, 2026

The Fellowship details sit in the offer. Then onboarding starts — typically in November for Spring entry and in May for Fall. Official hub: Student Onboarding. Late arrival can withdraw the offer or cut benefits.

Onboarding checklist

The official onboarding clock plus first-week tasks from Student Onboarding. This is a planning tool, not an official KAUST decision.

Accept the offer inside the window on the letter — silence can withdraw the place
Submit the onboarding form — official step 1, about 1 week
Medical clearance — Hep B, Hep C, HIV, VDRL, TB; 10+ days
Degree attestation — up to 60 days; often via the Saudi Cultural Mission
Visa process — 2–8 weeks; you deal with the embassy; KAUST issues the invitation
Housing assignment — before arrival; the entitled level is included
Travel coordination — KAUST books via Kanoo after the visa; do not self-ticket the inbound flight
Arrive and collect keys — Housing office first; Iqama medical during orientation
Saudi bank + portal — first stipend by the 10th of the following month, then around the 25th

Progress: 0% (0 of 9)

All done

All onboarding ticks are done. Keep official onboarding open — agents and medical lists change by country.

Accept inside the window

The official process page says that if you are accepted you have a limited time to respond. Miss it and the decision may be withdrawn. There is no published “72-hour” rule — read the offer. Decisions are final; you will not get a reconsideration essay slot.

If you still need an English score, this is when they tell you how and when to upload it. Enrolment is blocked until the published minimum is met.

Seven steps, 8–12 weeks if you are international

Local students can finish in about four weeks (longer with school-age children). The international average is 8–12 weeks. Travel is arranged only after every requirement is done, usually within a week of orientation or the semester start. Contact: GradOpsOnboarding@kaust.edu.sa.

Step	Task	Official estimate
1	Submit onboarding form	1 week
2	Medical clearance	10+ days
3	Degree attestation	Up to 60 days
4	Visa process	2–8 weeks
5	Housing assignment	Before arrival
6	Travel coordination	After visa issued
7	Arrive at KAUST	Orientation window

Visa and Iqama: you run the embassy, KAUST runs the invitation

Non-Saudi students need a university-sponsored Iqama. If you already live in the Kingdom on another Iqama, you transfer sponsorship to KAUST — or exit and start from your home country if the current sponsor will not transfer.

Passport. Valid for at least 12 months, with two adjacent blank visa pages. Renew before the onboarding form; the invitation letter is tied to that passport.
Agent. Contact the listed local visa agent for a Student / Educational Government visa checklist. You submit to the Saudi Embassy; onboarding advisors do not stand in the queue for you. For problems, GradOpsOnboarding@kaust.edu.sa coordinates with Embassy Relations.
Typical file. KAUST admission letter (generated after the onboarding form), visa medical, attested degrees (often via the Saudi Cultural Mission) and a valid passport. Birth and marriage certificates may also need attestation if dependents travel.
Medical. An embassy medical plus KAUST Health review. The report must include Hep B, Hep C, HIV, VDRL and TB. A positive result can block an Iqama. Translate non-English reports. Validity is often around 90 days — ask the agent.
Dependents. Onboarding can issue invitation letters, assign a family unit and align flights. You still collect the documents.
On arrival. The Iqama medical happens during orientation (or at a booked KAUST Health slot). Request it via the GA portal. Pick-up at GASC is about 7–10 days later.

Flights: KAUST books, you do not

Relocation books through Kanoo on the most direct route from the nearest convenient international airport, plus a taxi from Jeddah to campus. A Government Affairs officer meets you. You cannot self-book and still treat it as the official relocation flight. You pay the home-to-airport leg. Travel insurance to the Kingdom is recommended and can be claimed with visa costs.

If you change the later return destination, you pay any fare difference. Your arrival date is assigned — you do not pick a convenient Sunday. For delays, email onboarding and relocation. The emergency line published on the onboarding page is +966 544701348.

First weeks: housing office, stipend, orientation

Go to the Housing office first for the contract and keys. Connect to icampus Wi-Fi with your KAUST ID. Starter linens and some kitchenware are in the unit.

Open a Saudi bank account once you have your Iqama and a Saudi mobile number, then update portal.kaust.edu.sa. The first stipend arrives by the 10th of the following month, prorated; after that, around the 25th. Visa-cost assistance comes with that first payment. SAR 1,000 a month for four months is held as a deposit.

Orientation week (the week before classes) covers the Registrar, Admissions, Student Affairs, Student Operations, division and programme lectures, the Graduate Program Coordinator, and a meeting with your designated advisor for a study plan. Course registration is done with the Graduate Program Student Advisor via the registrar site.

Health: Bupa cover runs from arrival day for you and legal dependents under KAUST sponsorship. Use KAUST Health immediately; membership details follow in the first week once you have an Iqama and a Saudi number.

Keep the official onboarding page open

Agents, medical lists and travel rules change by country. This handbook is a map, not a visa instruction: Official Site — Onboarding.