King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Admission Requirements 2027

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, KAUST, a graduate research university on the Red Sea near Thuwal founded in 2009, had 1,741 students in September 2024, 46% of them international. Admitted MS and PhD students receive the KAUST Fellowship, covering tuition worth up to USD 35,000 a year, a stipend of USD 20,000 to 30,000, housing, health insurance and relocation. Applying is free, and the Fall 2027 deadline is 3 January 2027.

Requirements

Requirements are being verified.

English test waiver

KAUST requires IELTS 7 overall with at least 6.5 in every section (IELTS Online accepted), TOEFL iBT 5 overall with at least 4.5 in each section (Home Edition accepted), PTE Academic 71 with at least 67 in each section, or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency at 185 with at least 176 in each section, valid for two years. It does not accept Medium of Instruction certificates, the Duolingo English Test, TOEFL MyBest scores or IELTS One Skill Retake, and says it cannot waive the requirement. A test is not needed for a degree earned through in-person study at an accredited institution in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand, or a previous KAUST degree. The TOEFL score is not recorded as a number because the page does not say which scale its 5 refers to.