KAUST Fellowship Funding 2027: What the Package Is Worth
KAUST values the Fellowship at $70,000–$80,000 a year: tuition up to $35,000, a $20,000 (M.S.) or $25,000–$30,000 (Ph.D.) stipend, base housing, health insurance and relocation.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
KAUST calculates the Fellowship at $70,000–$80,000 per year depending on your situation. Amounts below are from admissions.kaust.edu.sa/fees-funding and the official onboarding FAQs (rechecked 6 October 2026). Offer-letter terms override blogs.
What Fees & Funding lists
Tuition and bench fees: up to $35,000 a year
Full coverage of tuition and bench fees. This is the academic cost KAUST assigns to the year, not a cash payment to you.
Stipend: $20,000 or $25,000–$30,000
M.S.: $20,000 a year. Ph.D.: $25,000 to $30,000 depending on qualifications and academic progress.
Base accommodation: included
Shared for single students; 2-bed for married students. Eligible upgrades cost extra. Onboarding confirms there is no charge at the entitled level, and utilities are included.
Health insurance: you and on-campus dependents
Covers students and eligible dependents living on campus. Onboarding says Bupa cover starts on the day you arrive, with the certificate following in the first week.
Relocation: first arrival and graduation return
Visa, relocation and travel for the initial move to KAUST and the return home at graduation only. Extra trips home mid-degree are not part of this benefit. KAUST books the inbound flight (through Kanoo); you do not self-ticket. The home-to-airport transfer in your country is on you. Travel insurance to the Kingdom can be claimed with visa expenses after arrival.
The onboarding stipend table
From the official Student Onboarding FAQ (not a blog conversion). The stipend is paid into a Saudi bank account only, after you have an Iqama and have updated the student portal. The first payment arrives by the 10th of the month after arrival, prorated; the usual cycle is the 25th.
| Class | USD / month | SAR / month | USD / year (Fees page) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. | $1,667 | SAR 6,250 | $20,000 |
| Ph.D. (< 30 credits) | $2,083 | SAR 7,812 | $25,000 |
| Ph.D. (above 30 credits) | $2,500 | SAR 9,375 | $30,000 |
The official FAQ says students spend about $1,320 a month on average, which the stipend is meant to more than cover — and housing at the entitled level is already included. The campus is a closed community: groceries, food courts and recreation are on site, but upgrades, family extras and travel home are not free.
Deposit, visa help and travel allowance
- Security deposit. SAR 1,000 is deducted for each of the first four months (SAR 4,000 in total). It is returned after exit clearance and is used for damage, library fines, traffic violations and unpaid bills.
- Visa cost assistance. Paid with the first stipend for onboarding visa expenses. English-test fees are not covered.
- Annual travel assistance. Separate from the one-time relocation flights. M.S. students get it once during the programme; Ph.D. students annually. It is based on KAUST rates from Jeddah to your home capital, so it is partial, not a full ticket. You must have been on campus at least 180 days. Details are emailed in March. Saudi students follow the same timeline.
Sponsorship and extras
There is no separate Fellowship application. All admitted students receive it except partnership or externally sponsored cases. If another university, company or sponsor pays tuition, relocation or living costs, you will not stack the KAUST Fellowship on top. Small extras (conference travel, a computer grant) are usually compatible — declare them when confirmed. Partnership admits may see different benefits in the offer letter.
You cannot take the stipend into a foreign bank. You cannot book your own inbound flight and claim it as the relocation ticket. Housing upgrades and some family-unit choices carry extra fees. Pets are not allowed, so there is no pet-deposit conversation to have.
Primary source: Fees & Funding.