Arab Educational Information Network

Through programs of scholarships to study abroad, the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education seeks to train and develop Saudi human resources, with the aim of enabling them to become competitive in the labor market and scientific research, and provide key support to public and private Saudi universities. The most important specific aims of the scholarship programs are: sending qualified Saudis to study at the best universities in various countries around the world; achieving high academic and professional standards; exchanging scientific, educational and cultural expertise with various countries around the world; building qualified, professional cadres; and raising levels of professionalism among them.This paper provides the following: a historical overview of Saudi programs of scholarships to study abroad; the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques program of scholarships to study abroad as an example of investment in human resource skills in support of overall national development; numbers of scholarships given, the target countries, the educational stages and disciplines covered, and the disciplines encouraged by the Ministry in the service of development plans; and, finally, a summary of the needs of the Saudi labor market and their relationship with scholarship programs. (Published Abstract)