The Ministry of Culture announced Sunday of granting additional scholarships for 54 Saudi students within the Cultural Scholarship Program supervised by the ministry. This third batch of scholarships included male and female students under two tracks; 52 pre-accepted students and two students joining for the first time. The percentage of male students is 37%, while 63% are females. Of the new grants 41% were awarded to undergraduate students who will begin their higher studies and 59% to master's students. Their majors include literature, languages and linguistics, fashion, design, filmmaking, visual arts, archaeology, theater, culinary arts, libraries, museums, architecture, and music. The educational institutions in which they have received admission include a list of the most prestigious international universities and institutes. They are: Royal Holloway (University of London), Georgetown University, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, University of Southern California, Royal College of Art, Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Queen Mary University of London, Delft University of Technology, University of California Berkeley, Polytechnic University of Milan, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This batch follows prior decisions to grant 79 scholarships in the first batch and 149 in the second, totaling 282 scholarships so far. The Cultural Scholarship Program, a first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, focuses on creative specializations within the 16 cultural sectors, offering multiple benefits to students, including bearing all tuition fees. Through this program, the ministry aims to develop national cultural and artistic competencies to align with the labor market priorities. — SPA
