Study and Research Opportunities in Kuwait

Long and short-term academic programs are available in Kuwait across many universities and educational centers. International students and researchers may apply to BA, MA, Ph.D., and postdoctoral research programs in Kuwait. Moreover, summer schools and conferences are other excellent academic activities that make Kuwait an attractive destination for scholars and scientists. Many programs also come with fully-funded scholarships and fellowships as well as travel grants and financial aid, thus every student, researcher, and professor can always find a suitable program in Kuwait and apply.

Scholarships in Kuwait

Fellowships in Kuwait

Summer Programs in Kuwait՛

Kuwait as an academic destination

Kuwait has numerous advantages for both international students and travelers. It’s a unique country carrying the Arabic culture, and especially for students from the EU or US, the country offers a drastic culture shift. 

Traditionally, Asia is a far more affordable study abroad destination for international students than top student countries like UK, Germany, US, etc. Yet, Asian education does not compromise in quality. That’s why it’s a desired academic destination for many students around the world. To be fair, here we should note that Kuwait has higher fees compared to other countries in the region. However, it’s still significantly cheaper than many European or American universities. 

Universities of Kuwait

Kuwait is not a big country. Its population slightly increases 4 million people, which might be one reason you will meet fewer universities here than in many other countries. There are 11 higher educational institutions in Kuwait, and the country allows you to study in a local university which is also included in the international rankings. 

Here we will state there is only one internationally ranked university in the country because that’s the one that you will meet in most of the global university rankings. Both Times Higher Education and QS Ranking mention Kuwait University as the country’s top educational Institution that corresponds to the international standards. 

Kuwait University is not only notable because of its correspondence to international standards. Its also the oldest Institution in the country, which gave the start to the history of Kuwait’s academic infrastructure. 

KU was founded in 1966 and since then officially supports the country’s higher education and research. The university continues to be one of the primary institutions that support research activities. Therefore, we recommend taking a special look at Kuwait University’s provided research grants if you pursue a research career in the country. 

Kuwait University also provides around 90 undergraduate and 90 graduate academic programs distributed across its main 17 colleges. 

Other universities that appeared one of the firsts in the country include:

All the mentioned universities could be a great choice for you if you are looking to explore the country’s oldest academic culture. 

Student expenses in Kuwait

As mentioned above in the introduction part, Kuwait is more expensive than other countries in Asia. A budget around 6,500-7,500$ is usually allocated to pay for university tuition in the country. Also, note that the mentioned sum does not include other mandatory expenses that you will have in Kuwait as a student. Particularly, besides the mentioned fee, in most universities, you might also have to pay miscellaneous and laboratory fees. However, those expenses are not usually big. They may occupy some additional 150-200$ or so. 

Surely, you will also need to allocate a budget for your daily expenses. Kuwait has numerous attractive points for students. You will make your studying experiences complete if you also give time and budget to travel across the country and discover its culture. The monthly or yearly spending budget can’t be calculated precisely, as it significantly depends on the spending habits of each student. However, many sources cite the budget of 1,000 to 1,500 $ monthly, where up to 800$ can occupy the accommodation and monthly utility expenses

Research opportunities in Kuwait

Based on different estimations, Kuwait’s crude oil reserves account for 9% of the global crude oil reserves, and the country’s petroleum industry is the most popular and the most developed one. 

This quick overview of the petroleum industry has close relations to research opportunities in the country. Its main research institution, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, was founded and still continues to support the research projects in the oil sphere. Petroleum and its different aspects were one of the primary research directions when the Institution was founded in 1967. The other two research directions that were popular since the beginning were desert agriculture and marine biology

Besides the mentioned, you can explore the country’s specifications and development rates in the fields of environment preservation, sustainable management of the local natural resources, responsible management for water and energy, and innovative agriculture methods. The KISR supports all those research directions, and their website might come in very handy for those who wish to start a research career in Kuwait. 

Similar to the Scientific Research Institute, the country’s next primary research center, Kuwait University also supports the same research areas. Head to the Kuwait University website, where you will discover more than ten popular research directions. All those directions are large;y supported by the country’s government. If you happen to provide valuable findings and innovations for them, Kuwait’s government and academic society will highly value them. 

In our turn, we hope this section of ARMACAD will help you in that.