New scholarship standards set

(MENAFN- Arab News) The ministry of education has adopted new regulations for scholarships abroad for the year 2016/2017. according to the new rules candidates aiming for a master's degree must acquire 90 points while those wishing for a doctoral degree need 100 points to enroll in the respective programs.

the successful candidate must obtain over 60 percent in personal interview and pass the ministry's exam.

the regulations also require the candidate to be less than 45 years of age and have served for at least two years in a ministry or government institution. the employer's professional evaluation of the employee should be high the candidate should obtain proper permission for leave and not involved in any legal case in the two years prior to applying for the scholarship.

once the application is approved the candidate must furnish a written statement of his or her new position with the latest qualification at the civil service ministry and give an undertaking that the candidate will not change the study location or date. one can however request a change during the scholarship year but the candidate needs to obtain the acceptance from a university acknowledged by the ministry of high education.

the ministry also gives specific guidelines for the type of education. the studies shouldn't be limited to research only. the program should include academic courses and research and be included in the acceptance letter.

an officially translated acceptance letter from a university and academic plan needs to be attached to the application.

a person should attain 450 in the toefl test or 4 in the ielts test. these two tests are the standard language proficiency tests for international students with the exception of college graduates specializing in english or those who studied in english outside saudi arabia in universities accredited by the ministry of higher education.