Faisal Mohammad Al-Mohanna Abaalkhail, Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché in Canada, and Vice-Provost (International) John Dixon sign an agreement that will enhance the opportunities for Saudi students to attend Queen's.

A new agreement will enhance the opportunities for Saudi students to attend Queen’s.

“International students contribute a great deal to enriching our classrooms and laboratories. With the benefits offered by this agreement, we hope to increase the number of Saudi students at Queen’s,” says Brenda Brouwer, vice-provost and dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Saudi graduate students can upgrade their English language skills at the Queen’s School of English (QSoE) prior to commencing their degree studies. It’s the first time such a provision has been included in an agreement signed by the School of Graduate Studies.

“The agreement is a great opportunity for us to support the university’s internationalization efforts,” says Elaine Armstrong, director of QSoE. “The agreement also benefits our recruiting because it provides Saudi students with a solid opportunity to get into Queen’s, which is what they are looking for.”

The graduate students will be funded entirely by the Saudi Arabian government’s King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program. In addition to covering tuition, living and health insurance costs, the scholarship program will provide payments of up to $10,000 for a doctoral student and $5,000 for a Master’s student, to be applied toward the costs of research.

“Queen’s is very pleased to have the opportunity afforded by today’s visit to work with our colleagues at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau on several initiatives that will help further develop cross-cultural understanding on the part of students of both countries,” says Vice-Provost (International) John Dixon.

The agreement also allows for the admission of qualified Saudi undergraduate students funded by the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program. Students who meet the academic requirement for admission, and have an advanced level of English, may be offered conditional acceptance under the QBridge Program. QBridge allows students to satisfy the English language requirement by successfully completing the 10-week English language program at QSoE during July and August.

Students who need to improve their English language skills in preparation for study at Queen’s can fulfill the English language proficiency requirement for their application by successfully completing advanced or university preparation level studies at QSoE.