TAIF: The Taif University is offering 500 scholarships to expatriate students from 40 Muslim countries around the globe, and 200 for those foreigners living in the country.
This is for the first time that the university has offered scholarships to foreign students to be launched this coming academic year.
Wasalallah Al-Sawat, dean of admissions, said the university has accepted 18,000 students, of which 14,000 would be full time and 3,000 part time, in addition to postgraduate students. There were 40 percent more admissions to the medical faculty this year compared to last year, he was quoted as saying by a local publication on Tuesday.
He said new departments have been established such as physical education; and that nursing, history and media studies would have their own separate faculties. The university has applied to the Education Ministry for these changes, he said.
Al-Sawat said the university has set up a special committee to determine whether it is meeting the needs of the labor market, in line with the aims and objectives of Vision 2030. This was not done to maximize profits but improve education outcomes, he said.
He said students had applied to the university a month ago by sending letters to the deans of the various faculties. There was a great demand for medicine and the university has accepted 202 students. Children of martyrs would be allowed to attend the university, with some having to complete a preparatory year, with further specialization depending on their grades.
Al-Sawat said the university was developing its education faculty in line with the directives of the ministry. The aim was to improve the qualifications of teachers. He said the director of the university, Talal Al-Maliki, had issued a directive for further studies on the education faculty, which would be handed to the ministry on completion.
He said applications were still open for students to apply on the university’s website. The names of those accepted would be announced next week. Non-Saudi students were not allowed to enroll in health specializations, and engineering students have to have high grades to gain admission because of the competition for places.
He said students from Raniya governorate would not need to deliver their applications in person to the university because this could be done electronically. The university had started introducing online applications last year to make it easier for students, he said.
He said that some students with low grades would be accepted but the number had not been determined yet; and that evening school was free of charge. Places for the preparatory year were for males in science and education and females in science and the humanities.
Al-Sawat said Syrian residents can study at the university and those on visit visas can be accepted if directives are received from the ministry. Female Egyptian students can apply for internal scholarships.
He said the university has provided special places for students with disabilities, who can apply through the website. A special committee has been set up to help students with disabilities apply and gain access to buildings and have their schedules worked out. They can apply for places in science and humanities faculties, he said.
Al-Sawat said a committee was formed last year to determine what was needed by the labor market. The university has determined that there should be 20 master’s students per class, and that the master’s in hospital administration should be approved by the Ministry of Civil Service.
Those wishing to study health should have at least a 90 percent average for their secondary school certificate and 70 percent for abilities. All students wishing to gain admission must have a secondary school certificate, not be employed by a government body, and not have a secondary school certificate older than five years.
Admissions start on Monday, June 20 and continue until July 10. Recommendations for personal interviews are on July 12, interviews on July 14, and online acceptance from July 18 to 22. Students will receive confirmation on e-mail or on their phones, and get their schedules and student numbers automatically.
700 scholarships for expat students at Taif University
700 scholarships for expat students at Taif University
Threat to Kingdom’s security is ‘red line’ that will be ‘addressed and neutralized,’ Saudi envoy says
- Abdulaziz Alwasil tells UN Security Council the situation in southern Yemen is ‘a just cause with social and historic dimensions’ that can only be resolved through dialogue
- Recent military activity in the south was unilateral, resulting in an escalation that harms the interests of Yemeni people and undermines efforts to address issues in the south, he said
NEW YORK CITY: Any attempt to threaten Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line” and will be met with decisive action, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Speaking during a meeting of the council to discuss Yemen, Abdulaziz Alwasil said the situation in the south of the country is “a just cause with social and historic dimensions” that can only be resolved through dialogue.
“We stress that any attempt to threaten our national security is a red line, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions and steps to address it and neutralize it,” he added.
Alwasil reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government in their efforts to achieve security, stability, development and peace while preserving national unity.
He said military activity by Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra on Dec. 2, 2025, was unilateral, did not have the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council, and was not carried out in coordination with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
It had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, undermined efforts to address the issues in the south, and ran counter to the coalition’s objectives, Alwasil added.
The Kingdom, working with its coalition partners, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, had moved to contain the situation by dispatching a military force to coordinate arrangements with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, he said.
The aim was to ensure the return of the southern council’s forces to their previous positions outside of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and the handover of camps to legitimate government forces and local authorities in line with agreed procedures, Alwasil added.
He expressed regret over the military operations that took place in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, close to Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which he said posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, as well as the security of Yemen and regional stability. Such steps were extremely dangerous, he added, and contradicted the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had been founded.
Alwasil welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange agreement signed in Muscat on Dec. 23, which he described as an important humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and build confidence.
He praised Oman for hosting and sponsoring the consultations and supporting negotiations, and commended the efforts of UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all others that has played a part.
Regarding the political efforts to resolve the crisis, Alwasil said Saudi Arabia welcomed President Al-Alimi’s call for an inclusive conference in Riyadh to bring together all stakeholders to discuss just solutions to the situation in southern Yemen.
Preparations for the conference have begun, he added, in cooperation with the Yemeni government and southern representatives, reflecting the close ties between the two countries and their shared interests in stabilizing Yemen.
He urged all southern stakeholders to participate actively and constructively in the talks, to help find comprehensive and just solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of southern Yemen.
Alwasil called on all Yemeni forces and stakeholders to cooperate and intensify their efforts to reach a lasting political settlement that would ensure security and stability.
He described the southern issue as “a just cause with social and historic dimensions,” adding that “the only way to address it is through dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political solution” based on nationally and internationally agreed terms of reference.
