Thousands of Saudi students under the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program have had the opportunity to study at prestigious universities abroad – to gain education and expertise in specialized courses not offered in the Kingdom – and then heartily contribute to their country's development. Unfortunately, for various reasons, some intelligent and ambitious students missed out on the scholarship. But, this did not stop them from dreaming to study abroad, and so they took the risk of traveling and enrolling in a foreign university – all at their own expense. They hoped of getting a scholarship later, but then it doesn't always work out with everyone. The risky step which these Saudi students took has no guarantee, and toward the end many run into financial trouble with no one to turn to for help. Currently, over 8,000 Saudi students, studying on their personal expense are on King's scholarship program's waiting list, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported. Officials say, it is a lengthy process, some students have failed to meet the requirements while others are still waiting. As a result, many students are juggling studies with part-time jobs like, translator, waiter, or working at a gas station abroad. Saudi students from across the world – Canada, US, Australia, Ireland, India, Malaysia, Jordan, and other European countries are asking for help in expediting their enrollment into the scholarship program, and are seeking a solution to their problem. Fahd Al-Zubaidi, a student studying in US told Al-Riyadh newspaper, “It was my dream to continue my education at a renowned university in the US. I worked hard to get accepted into the university, sacrificed my job in the Kingdom, left my family, and travelled a distance of more than 1,000 miles to fulfill this dream. And now, the tuition fees are piling up and I am still trying to get into the scholarship program.” Dina Muhammad said she has been studying in New York for the past six months and her application to the scholarship program has been rejected. Muhammad wants to know why she has been rejected because her friends who hold the same qualification and GPA like her have been accepted. One student's father sold his shares in the stock market to send his daughter to the United Kingdom to study for her master's degree. Aqila Ali Aal-Saeed is majoring in both linguistics and human resources development and she still has hope that she will enter the scholarship program to relieve her father of the financial burden of her studies abroad. Bassem Al-Harbi who is studying in Malaysia sadly admitted that his parents are drowning in debt, only to pay for his higher education abroad. Al-Harbi fears that his dreams are beginning to diminish because of the huge financial expenses which is taking a toll on his family. In future, he may even have to discontinue his studies and this has affected his current academic performance. Some students have left their lucrative jobs in the Kingdom to pursue their education abroad. For example, Saleh Al-Anzi left his job at an insurance company. He took a bank loan and enrolled in a university abroad to continue his education because he was dissatisfied with his diploma in communication networks. Since salaries are much higher for bachelors' degree and masters' degree holders, Saudi men and women insist on traveling abroad to continue their education and specialize in fields needed by the Saudi job market. Badr Al-Sharari applied to a university in Jordan to study pharmacology. He still has not received any financial aid from the King's scholarship program, and he, like many others, fears that he may have to withdraw half-way through his university program due to lack of sufficient funds. The application of a master's student studying in the US, Nawal Al-Zouri, was declined because her GPA is 3.71, only a little bit below the GPA requirement for eligibility for the scholarship program, which is 3.75. Saeed Ali Mahdi Al-Ali always wanted to graduate from a foreign prestigious university. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from the University of Petroleum and Minerals in the year 2006, Al-Ali soon found a job for himself because due to personal reasons he was unable to travel abroad for further studies. By the time his problems were solved, the Ministry of Higher Education had rejected his application to the scholarship program; five years had elapsed from the time of his graduation was the reason given. Al-Ali, left with no options is paying the tuition fee for his master's degree along with travel and and living expenses.
