Housing
The Harbour, not a city apartment
Full-time Thuwal graduate students must live on campus. Units are University-managed and furnished, mainly in the Harbour near Discovery Square and the academic buildings. Official student-accommodation page: single students usually get a private room in shared, gender-specific housing; married students with dependents can request a 1- or 2-bedroom apartment (an extra fee that is not in the base Fellowship if you go beyond entitlement). FAQs describe private bedrooms with a shared common area and kitchen.
You do not pick the unit. Housing is assigned before arrival. Roommate preferences can be sent; they are honoured only if supply allows. Eligible dependents: one spouse and unmarried children through age 19 (or children in your custody more than 50% of the time), provided they live on campus at least 180 days a year. Pets are not allowed. Visitors are allowed with limits — details in the Student Handbook after you arrive.
Onboarding: units include bed, wardrobe, living furniture, washer/dryer, fridge, dishwasher, stove. 220 V, UK-style type G sockets. Utilities included; wired internet plus a premium Wi-Fi period for new residents. A starter pack of bedding, towels, and some kitchenware is provided. See Student Accommodation (official slug uses the published spelling).
Money on the ground
About $1,320 a month
That average is from the official admissions FAQ, not a cost-of-living blog. The M.S. stipend is $1,667 a month; Ph.D. is $2,083–$2,500. You still buy food, pay for housing upgrades, and fund extra travel. Cards (Visa/Mastercard) work; onboarding still recommends some cash. Stipend only hits a Saudi account after Iqama.
Labs and support
Core Labs are for students
Official FAQ: students use Core Labs during operating hours. Expert staff give free training through the year so you can run equipment yourself. Student support listed on Life at KAUST includes orientation, student-life activities, English language support, career development, and counselling.
A day outside the lab
Food, sport, Jeddah buses
Life at KAUST lists grocery and retail, a pharmacy, health centre, cinema, and Discovery Square events next to housing. Food options include familiar chains (Subway, Burger King, Domino’s, Starbucks) plus local and international kitchens.
Recreation: three sports centres, a golf club, a dive centre, two beaches. Pools, track, gyms, tennis/squash/padel, climbing wall, bowling, fitness classes, paddleboarding, sailing. FAQs add rock climbing, scuba, snorkeling. Clubs range from astronomy and photography to jiu-jitsu and triathlons; you can start one if it does not exist.
Free buses to Jeddah (Al-Balad, malls, dining, F1, Red Sea International Film Festival). On-campus car rental and a travel agency for Riyadh, AlUla, and desert trips. The campus is not Jeddah — it is a self-contained town with an exit valve.
See it
KAUST publishes a 360° virtual tour of 60+ locations. Use that, not stock photos of generic Gulf campuses. Official life page: Life at KAUST.
Last updated 21 Sep 2026.