KAUST Fellowship Documents 2027: What You Must Upload

The official list comes from Entry Requirements. Everything in the file — including transcripts — must be in English, or paired with a certified translation you pay for.

Document checklist

The six official pieces. This is a planning tool, not an official KAUST decision. Tick them as you prepare them.

The six pieces, in detail

1. Official university transcripts

A complete academic record from every higher-education institution you attended: courses, credits where used, grades, final award and the grading scale. Mark sheets or graduation certificates can stand in if that is what the university issues.

If the degree is unfinished, upload a partial transcript, unofficial record or screenshot from the student system. If you are admitted, final official transcripts must be sent by the awarding institution to the Office of Admissions before you arrive. Non-English originals need both the original and a certified English translation. KAUST will not recommend a translator.

2. Curriculum vitae

Full but concise. The official minimum: legal name as on your passport or national ID; date of birth; correspondence address; phone and email; every post-high-school institution with dates; qualifications taken and pending (level, title, dates); relevant work; research and publications, with abstracts where useful; other skills and interests. They explicitly want extracurriculars — they use them to judge how you will live in a closed campus community.

3. Statement of purpose (~750 words)

Past work, preparation for the field, background and interests, academic plans, career objectives, and why this specific KAUST programme. This is not a life memoir and not a second CV. Name the research problems you want to work on and why KAUST’s labs and faculty are the right bench. There is no separate “fellowship essay”.

4. Three referees

Contact details only — you do not upload letters. An academic or professional email is required; personal addresses are not accepted. Requests leave the system the moment you save the names. Academic referees are expected unless your last degree ended more than three years ago. Ask them to include comparison language and comment on your research ability. Target: all letters in within seven calendar days of the deadline.

5. English score (if available)

IELTS 7 / 6.5, TOEFL iBT 5 / 4.5 (code 4107), PTE 71 / 67, or Cambridge 185 / 176, as published on the official page (rechecked 6 October 2026). You may apply without it; admitted students must meet the floor before enrolment. See Eligibility.

6. Passport or Saudi national ID

A clear, unobscured copy of the passport page with your photo and personal details. Saudi applicants may use a national ID instead. After an offer you will need a passport valid for at least 12 months with two adjacent blank visa pages — renew before onboarding if you are close.

Optional: GRE or PGAT

Not required. If you include a score, upload an official report. Validity is five years. Self-reported numbers are unofficial until verified.

Do not confuse application uploads with onboarding. If you are admitted, KAUST onboarding will ask for degree attestation (often up to 60 days, frequently via the Saudi Cultural Mission), a GAMCA / visa medical report (HIV, Hep B, Hep C, VDRL, TB — a positive result can block an Iqama), and a visa invitation process through a local agent. Those are not the documents you upload with your application.

Common file mistakes

• A transcript without a grading scale.
• An English translation without the original, or an original without a translation.
• Personal email addresses for referees.
• Saving referees before they have agreed — the request emails immediately.
• Waiting for a “final” transcript when a partial record would have made the deadline.
• Planning to edit after submit. You cannot, unless they ask.

Official list: entry requirements.