RIYADH: Saudi students have been praised for their success as they completed courses at top universities in the US with the help of a Vision 2030 scholarship program.

The deputy head of the Kingdom's Mission to the US, Prince Musab bin Mohammed bin Fahd, and the cultural attache in Washington, Dr. Fawzi Bukhari, watched the graduation of students studying under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Prince Musab praised their achievements at prestigious institutions, while Bukhari said the scholarship program, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year, had already begun to bear fruit.

The program boosts what it refers to as “human capital” in new and promising sectors, by sending scholars to prominent educational institutions, as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

"The crown prince had launched the fourth phase of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, which includes four pillars, the first of which is the pioneer phase, to enroll students in the 30 best universities in various disciplines to tackle Vision 2030 programs," Bukhari added.

The president of the Saudi Club at Harvard University, Walid Siddiq, said the presence of the and the cultural attache had motivated the 49 students who graduated.

The number of graduates from global education institutions adds to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program series. Harvard University leads the Shanghai global university rankings, while MIT is top of the QS table.

There are a further 103 Saudi students enrolled at both institutions.