Saudi Gazette report

Washington — Saudi Arabia has significantly expanded its presence in elite higher education, with 1,165 Saudi students now enrolled in the world’s top 30 universities, out of 14,037 Saudis currently studying in the United States.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2022, has doubled enrollment in its “Pioneers” and “Excellence” tracks within three years, marking a major step toward Vision 2030’s human-capital development goals.

Dr. Tahani Al-Baiz, Saudi Cultural Attaché to the U.S. and Canada, said the program is reshaping the presence of Saudi students at top American institutions, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Princeton and Johns Hopkins.

At MIT, Saudis now rank second among international undergraduates, reflecting a policy shift from quantity to high-quality, targeted academic placement.

The Saudi Cultural Mission in Washington—established in 1951—now oversees services that benefit more than 170,000 students and graduates.

Its role has evolved from supervising a small cohort to becoming the Kingdom’s central bridge for academic, research and institutional partnerships with the United States.

The health sector remains one of the program’s strongest performers. Between 2020 and 2025, 8,036 Saudi doctors and healthcare professionals completed training in the U.S. and Canada, with rising graduation rates in oncology, cardiac surgery, emergency medicine, infectious diseases and critical care.

Saudi investment in medical training reached $21.2 million between 2023 and 2025, reinforcing long-term plans to build advanced clinical and research capacity.

Saudi physicians are now training at leading medical centers including Boston Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson and Memorial Sloan Kettering. These partnerships span clinical rotations, research supervision and joint medical programs—contributing directly to the transfer of global best practices into Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system.

Dr. Al-Baiz said the program’s progress reflects sustained leadership support and strategic alignment between the Ministries of Education and Health, alongside strong partnerships with U.S. universities and medical institutions.

She added that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington will strengthen the educational and scientific dimension of Saudi–U.S. relations.

New Haven University and Arizona State University were licensed to open branches in the Kingdom, with additional universities under consideration.

Dr. Al-Baiz concluded that the program’s latest figures reflect a mature phase in Saudi Arabia’s shift toward specialized human-capital development, ensuring a sustainable pipeline of highly qualified professionals to support Vision 2030 and enhance national quality of life.