The Ministry of Higher Education said 17,268 students have been granted scholarships through the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. The scholarships cover bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees as well as medical fellowships. The applicants form the fourth group to be awarded scholarships under the program. Of the candidates selected, 10,250 are males and 7,018 females. Most of the applicants come from the Makkah region. The breakdown is 5,871 from Makkah, 4,043 from Riyadh and 3,832 from the Eastern Province. The scholarship program was started in 2006 by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. It started with 15,000 students who were sent to study in the US and in Asia, according to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia web site. The program came after a drop in Saudis traveling abroad for educational purpose following 9/11. – Okaz __
