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Institute of
International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
7th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 (212) 984 5367
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The Saudi Scholarship Program: Opportunities and Challenges |
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By Jamal Alsayyed
Responding to an invitation by the Institute of International Education (IIE), representatives from ten U.S. universities gathered at IIE’s headquarters in New York City this past March to discuss the rapid expansion of Saudi student flows to the United States and to identify the challenges and opportunities arising from the new Saudi Scholarship Program
The Saudi Scholarship Program
The Saudi Scholarship Program (also known as the Diamond Scholarship Program), supported by the Saudi government and recognized as a culminating effort of then-Prince Abdullah’s visit to Crawford, Texas, has since multiplied the number of scholarships awarded to young Saudi men and women to enroll in U.S. colleges and universities. The number of these scholarships has varied each year, but according to the Saudi Cultural Division in Washington, DC (the administrative arm of the scholarship), approximately 12,000 Saudi students are currently enrolled in U.S. institutions. The Saudi Cultural Division anticipates a potential increase to 22,000 in the coming years. The majority of these students are attending English Language Institutes in preparation of their matriculation into degree programs.
The presence of this large number of Saudi students on U.S. campuses has undoubtedly presented challenges for administrators and faculty, U.S. consulate and State Department officials, as well as the Saudi Cultural Division in Washington, DC. But the presence of more Saudi students has also provided a great opportunity to extend a bridge of understanding and cooperation between the peoples of these two nations.
What Are the Challenges for U.S. Host Campuses?
The increase of Saudi students applying for study in the U.S. has brought about challenges related to the placement of students at the domestic and international level. Some of these challenges identified at the IIE roundtable discussion included:
• Placing a larger number of student applicants despite limited staffing at the U.S. Consulates in Saudi Arabia
• Increased visa applications requiring additional security clearances in Washington
• Discerning students’ real skill sets and students’ criteria for eligibility for academic programs
• Accommodating for the disconnect between some students’ interests in highly competitive programs and actual skills and credentials.
Recommendations on Admitting Students
Admission officers and international student advisors, faced with this large increase in the number of applications from Saudi Arabia, discussed ways to cope with this new demand and integration. The most successful strategies among U.S. universities included:
• Demonstrating a degree of flexibility when evaluating credentials and recognizing those students who have somewhat poor test-taking skills
• Allowing these students to enroll in an academic course during their English language preparation or in a non-degree course to assess their eligibility
• Requesting that a student enroll in a community college for a semester before making the admission decision, offering conditional admissions in some areas, or admitting students in less demanding majors and giving them opportunity to change their majors once they have demonstrated academic success.
Without lowering the admission standards, some universities have succeeded by implementing similar strategies. The past two years of experience has shown that the overwhelming majority of admitted students, once allowed, have been successful.
What Are the Best Ways to Integrate Saudi Students on Campus?
The presence of Saudi students supports universities’ goals in advancing diversity as a comprehensive commitment and priority, and fosters civic engagement among today's students. Integrating this large number of students of the same nationality into U.S. campuses and helping them succeed has not been an easy charge, and the presence of a large number of Saudi students in the same classrooms has presented an additional challenge. However, with prior planning and collaboration, campuses can ensure that students will benefit both academically and socially. Some recommendations from campus representatives include:
• Offering a comprehensive orientation program both at home and after the students’ arrival to the U.S.
• Stressing the cultural, social, moral and religious differences between both cultures. Explaining these differences and exposing the students to U.S. culture and business etiquette will be essential in helping them go about their daily business both on and off campus.
• Creating a welcoming environment on the host campus to help integrate the students into the broader student body and to prevent the natural tendency of ‘sticking together’. Examples include: dedicating a prayer room on campus, encouraging Arab/Muslim community and faculty members to take an active role in welcoming students and making them feel at home.
• Training faculty and staff on Arab and Muslim cultures to enable them to better understand and work with their students.
Saudi student clubs on several campuses have also succeeded with some support in presenting a wonderful picture of the Saudi culture and heritage to American and other international students through the active participation in international activities or the introduction of Arab awareness week/day. Furthermore, some universities with a larger number of sponsored students elected to establish a sponsored student advisor position, whose job is to advise and monitor the sponsored students’ progress.
Stressing the Value of Study Abroad in Both Directions
The Saudi Scholarship Program also presents an opportunity to promote study abroad and international exchange. As we are all aware, study abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with benefits that go far beyond academic learning, adding a significant dimension to undergraduate and graduate study by enabling students to develop broader perspectives on their field of study and skills in cross-cultural communication.
No geographic area in our current history requires more attention to cultural communication and exchange than the Middle East. Certainly, we must understand the reservations some institutions might have concerning sending U.S. citizens to the region. However, encouraging American students to pursue study abroad or exchange opportunities when the circumstances permit and exposing them to the culture, history, religions and traditions of the Middle East will be essential in promoting understanding.
Achieving our common goals of success for the students and universities will not be possible without the cooperation of all the parties involved in this process. With the potential expansion of this scholarship program, we should expect even more challenges, but with hard work, planning and patience, we all will hopefully overcome these obstacles and hear more success stories.
Finally, some words of thanks to IIE for hosting this discussion and presenting this opportunity, to the Department of State for their insight on the scholarship and visa processes, and to all the colleagues who participated in this discussion and who dedicate a great deal of their time and effort every day to make the lives and experiences of our international students more successful.
SIDEBAR 1
Integrating Foreign Students on the Campus: University of Arizona
In its efforts to integrate new Saudi students and international students in general into the university and the city of Tucson, the University of Arizona coordinates a number of programs and events throughout the academic year, among these activities are the following:
Peer Integrator Program: The University of Arizona offers this unique leadership program to domestic and international students interested in welcoming new international students to the University of Arizona. The Peer Integrator Program provides training to a group of students that focuses on team building, cross cultural communication, and sensitivity to intercultural experiences.
International Friends: International Friends, Inc. is a non-profit, community-based program that brings together residents of the Tucson, Arizona community and International Students attending the University of Arizona for purposes of friendship, learning and sharing. The program provides opportunities for students and Tucson citizens to learn about each other’s culture in a personal and meaningful way. Students are able to experience life in the United States outside of the academic environment.
Tucson Mayor’s Award: In recognition of the international students’ participation and active role in community activities, the city of Tucson presents the Tucson Mayor’s Awards. The awards are presented each spring to all students who have completed a variety of civic and cultural activities. The ceremony is usually held in City Council chambers and followed by a special reception.
Furthermore, the University of Arizona organizes a number of receptions and special recognition events for sponsored and exchange students, in addition to a number of field trips to local attractions in the area.
SIDEBAR 2
Background Data on Saudi Students in U.S. Higher Education
After growing relatively slowly in the 1950s and 1960s, the rate of student enrollments from Saudi Arabia on U.S. campuses began to accelerate in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to IIE’s Open Doors report. Student enrollments from Saudi Arabia peaked in 1980/81 with 10,440 students, and then declined steadily until the mid-1990s. Enrollment rates gradually increased beginning in 1993/94. Beginning in the 2002/03 academic year, enrollments dropped 25.2% and continued to decline until fall 2005, as participants in the Saudi Scholarship Program began enrolling on U.S. campuses. According to Open Doors, the number of Saudi students reported by U.S. campuses rose 14% from the prior academic year, to a total of 3,448. Even steeper increases are likely to be reported in response to the 2006/07 Open Doors survey.
Jamal Alsayyed is Coordinator of Sponsored Programs in the Office of International Student Programs & Services at the University of Arizona. Previously, Mr. Alsayyed was an educational advisor to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, DC.
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