High university fees drive expats away

Local private universities have failed to attract expat students in the Kingdom, most of whom still prefer to study abroad.
High tuition remains the main reason behind this mass exodus.
Private universities present an alternative to students who cannot attend government universities, but many students think that private universities only aim to make profit, paying little attention to academic standards. Because of this, children of most expatriates return home to get their degrees.
According to one academic, only 30 percent of expat students study at local private universities.
Still, there remain several private universities that have a strong reputation for academic excellence, say educationists.
“Saudi private universities offer high-standard academic programs and they present an alternative to government universities. Local private universities have entered into competition with other Arab universities, but the main problem is the extortionate fees they charge,” Abdullah Al-Rifaei, professor at a local private university, told Arab News.
“Although less than a third of expats register at these universities, hundreds of Saudi students who fail to get enrolled at government universities join private institutions,” he added.
“I went to Egypt to study with relatives who live in Cairo since tuition is cheap,” Adel Hamam, an Egyptian student who lived in Jeddah, told Arab News.
“University fees here cost up to SR70,000 per year, which many students cannot afford,” Yehya Al-Salmi, a professor of economics at a private university, told Arab News.
According to statistics published in 2013, enrollment at private higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia grew at the rate of 33 percent annually. Half of all private higher education revenues come from medical courses.
“I registered at a Jordanian university to study medicine,” Khaled Mubarek, a Sudanese student, told Arab News. “This specialization is mostly offered by government universities here and the few private universities that do offer medical programs charge very high fees.”