Hashim Kashgari of the British International School of Jeddah’s (BISJ) Class of 2019, has become the first Saudi student from the school to receive an offer at Oxford University, ranked No. 1 university in the world.
Kashgari is studying mechanical engineering and has taken up residence in Lady Margaret Hall. He and his family are from Jeddah. “BISJ takes the opportunity to wish him well in Oxford before he started his course,” the school said in a statement.
Kashgari attended BISJ or “Conti” as the school is affectionately known, for six years. He was awarded top in the region across nine subjects at the Cambridge IGCSE awards in 2017, the international exam taken at the age of 16. This year, Afrah Malik from the Class of 2021 came top in Saudi Arabia across nine subjects in the IGCSE Cambridge examinations.
Kashgari progressed on to studying for the IB Diploma at BISJ. The IB Diploma is considered one of the best for university preparation. The maximum IB Diploma mark of 45 was achieved by 275 students in 2019 worldwide. Kashgari achieved 43 points — a score that puts him in the top three percent worldwide.
BISJ was the first school in Saudi Arabia to offer the IB Diploma and has done so since 1999. “Our IB average has remained fairly constant over the years. Our IGCSE average of 90 percent with five or more IGCSE’s from A to C grades is close to 20 percent higher than the UK average,” the statement said.
“We wish Hashim every success and we will follow his progress with great interest.”