Nearly 10,000 students over the next five years will benefit from the national scholarship program in private universities and colleges in which the government pays 50 percent of the tuition, said Muhammad Al-Awhali, Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Academic Affairs. The program has come with conditions, however. The deputy minister said students who wish to benefit from the program should be admitted to universities and colleges accredited by the National Academic Accreditation Commission affiliated with the ministry. Students should also obtain the grade of “very good” in their high school diplomas and score over 65 percent in the national assessment examination for high school leavers. At least 300,000 students graduate from high school every year, with over 90 percent of them entering state universities and colleges. Students registered with private universities and colleges can be added to the scholarship program if they have completed at least one semester with a grade of “very good.”
