1.3.1 Does your university as a body have targets to admit students who fall into the bottom 20% of household income group in the country?
Al Maarefa University actively works to make higher education accessible to students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, including those from low-income households. While the university does not explicitly state targets to admit students from the bottom 20% of household income in Saudi Arabia, it implements initiatives and financial support schemes to assist students from economically disadvantaged families.
1. University Scholarships and Financial Aid:
Al Maarefa University provides scholarships and financial aid programs aimed at easing the financial burden on low-income students. These include need-based grants and merit scholarships that cover tuition fees and other educational expenses, ensuring that financial challenges do not become barriers to access.
2. Government Support Programs:
Saudi Arabia, through the Ministry of Education and related agencies, supports low-income students across universities, including private institutions like Al Maarefa. Initiatives such as government scholarships, financial allowances, and subsidized loans help students from disadvantaged families pursue higher education.
3. Community and Outreach Initiatives:
The university participates in outreach programs to identify and encourage talented students from low-income backgrounds to apply. By partnering with community organizations and schools in less affluent areas, Al Maarefa ensures that opportunities are extended to a broader segment of society.
4. Commitment to Vision 2030:
Al Maarefa University aligns with Saudi Vision 2030’s educational goals, which emphasize inclusivity and the empowerment of underprivileged communities. These national policies encourage universities to broaden access for students from various income groups.
Through these combined efforts, the university demonstrates a commitment to supporting low-income students, fostering equity in education, and contributing to the socioeconomic development of the nation. However, the specific tracking and setting of formal admission targets for the bottom 20% income group could be an area for further development.
Social Charity Fund
Awarded the best working environment in the non-profit sector for 2016 in Saudi Arabia
It is a national development foundation that plays a leading role in promoting the non-profit sector and addressing the challenges that faces the development work through empowerment and innovation. The foundation’s mission is the innovation of quality social programs and enabling the partners aiming at transforming of beneficiaries from pastoral to developmental status together with finding knowledge platform for enumerating the national developmental programs and measuring of their impact. Moreover, it has ensured that the generous guidance has included work to reduce the problem of destitution in nontraditional ways, excluding material and in kind drainage and based on the overall view of the problem and its causes and climate to reduce it by creating jobs and the involvement of the citizens in the productive work they can afford at the level of individuals and families.
So, In order to achieve their mission, vision and goals, they seek to put the needs of the target group in mind, and strengthen partnerships between the public and private sectors in order to support all their programs, and use them to build stronger, more efficient and more sustainable community networks to meet the needs of the target groups. Furthermore, they have to measure the level and impact of their programs to serve the beneficiaries, and organize projects and innovative, effective and more efficient programs to support the beneficiaries of the target group, build bridges of cooperation with other relevant national programs, and help and support communities most in need.
Based on the above, Al Maarefa University signed an agreement with Social Charity Fund to get educational grants for students who fall into the bottom 20% of household income group in the country.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RMdRwZ5uOok34SMtfdCUHZ8MO_tfpJ8t/view [11]
o the partnership that we agreed with the body is to accept student from needed family such as
§ Social security
§ Charity subscribers
§ National Committee for the Care of Prisoners family
§ National Drug Control Committee
The number we accept from the body is 20 students 9 male and 12 females in nursing program due to the high number of employability in nursing major across Saudi Arabia. Also, the student must be Saudi to get the scholarship and they have high school certificate.
Low Income student support
UM supports the students from low-income families to complete their studies, through different subsidize schemes. For example, UM has contract with a third party to provide low price menu food for student. UM have a contract with “qawafal alrushd” company to provide student with special discount for transportation, for the same purpose UM also has an agreement with Uber and Kareem companies. Al Maarefa University appointed “Alnadhir” law firm to assist the university staff and student including the low income.
· UM provides financial aid to local and international students to facilitate their study as well as other compensations related to food, transformation, accommodation, health and others.
· UM provides the students with financial support to help them start their businesses, through baying survives from them as a start-up financial assistance.
Regular Students Scholarship
NEW STUDENTS SCHOLASHIP
New students who pay early semester or annual tuition fees are given a specified repayment discount. In case of commitment to pay according to the specified date, the following discounts are applied:
| Early Repayment Grant for New Students | Discount Rate | An additional 10% for those who achieve the IELTS English language test rate or its equivalent | Last Date to Pay for the Discount – Chapter One | Last Date to Pay for the Discount – Chapter Two |
| The rate of the weighted average is more than (%95) | 30% | 5.5 | 31/08/2023 15/02/1445 | 25/01/2024 13/07/1445 |
| The rate of the weighted average of (90% and less than 95%) | 25% | 5.5 | 31/08/2023 15/02/1445 | 25/01/2024 13/07/1445 |
| The rate of the weighted average of (85% and less than 90%) | 20% | 5.5 | 31/08/2023 15/02/1445 | 25/01/2024 13/07/1445 |
| The rate of the weighted average of (70% and less than 85%) | 15% | 5.5 | 31/08/2023 15/02/1445 | 25/01/2024 13/07/1445 |
· The weighted percentage represents (30% of the high school percentage + 40% of the achievement test score + 30% of the general aptitude test score).
· The weighted percentage of holders of the American Curriculum Certificate is calculated as (70% of the SAT test score or its equivalent + 30% of the high school percentage).
· SAT Calculation Method: (Test Score / 1600 x 100) Overall x 70% + High School Percentage x 30%.
· Those who have an international secondary certificate or are from outside the Kingdom and do not require an ability and achievement test, the cumulative secondary percentage is equivalent to a weighted percentage.
Maslak loan Initiative
Sulaiman Al Rajhi Foundation for Development Finance
Are you a student of Al-Maarefa University?
You can now benefit from Maslak Fund.
Knowledge University seeks to prepare competencies qualified to participate
In building a knowledge economy, stimulating creativity, and scientific excellence
Social Responsibility Association
To invest the university’s scientific, research and community capabilities for the benefit of society, signing a cooperation agreement between #جامعة_المعرفة and #جمعيةالمسؤولية_المجتمعية .
Albilad signs an agreement to finance educational services for students of knowledge colleges
In continuation of strengthening strategic partnerships with success partners in the educational sector, Bank Albilad signed an agreement with the Colleges of Knowledge of Science and Technology to finance educational services for students of knowledge colleges who meet the conditions and criteria of Bank Albilad, where tuition fees are paid in easy installments without profit margin or additional fees.
The agreement was signed on behalf of Bank Albilad by Mr. Ihab bin Mahmoud Hasouba, General Manager of Retail Banking, and Dr. Zaid bin Mohammed Al-Zamil, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Colleges and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Knowledge Colleges, at the colleges’ headquarters in Diriyah on Monday, October 31, 2016, in the presence of a number of Bank and college officials.
Mr. Ihab bin Mahmoud Hassouba, General Manager of Retail Banking Sectors at Bank Albilad, stressed during the signing ceremony that the education of children is the real and most important investment for parents, which in turn reflects positively on sustainable development in our dear country. Accordingly, Bank Albilad sought to provide innovative and easy solutions for parents to pay tuition fees easily and flexibly through a program dedicated to financing students of knowledge colleges.
For his part, Dr. Zaid bin Mohammed Al-Zamil stated that we are pleased with the continuation of constructive cooperation between the Colleges of Knowledge for Science and Technology and Bank Albilad, and the consolidation of the bonds of relationship that began since the first inception of the colleges, and we are always keen to strengthen and activate this cooperation because of its positive impact on the scientific process and our students with good and benefit, and the colleges and those in charge of them hope that this important agreement will be translated for the good and interest of our students and motivate them to excel scientifically.
It is worth mentioning that the colleges of knowledge are one of the private educational institutions accredited by the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which offers bachelor’s programs in the disciplines of medicine, clinical pharmacy, and applied sciences, and believing in the importance of these disciplines, the colleges of knowledge have taken upon themselves since their inception in 2009, the responsibility of qualifying a pioneering generation at a high level of efficiency, professionalism and knowledge, by providing a distinctive educational climate for its students, using the latest means of technology used in the educational field, and was keen to achieve this. To design its curricula in a distinctive and advanced manner that transcends what its students aspire to through specialized bodies such as the King Abdullah Institute for Science and Consulting Studies at King Saud University and with the participation of the most prominent experts in various relevant authorities, in line with its lofty mission to serve the community.
All Bank Albilad services are available through Albilad’s various electronic channels for Albilad customers 24 hours a day, which are Albilad ATMs, which number more than 900 ATMs spread in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Albilad 920001002 phone, or Albilad Net www.bankalbilad.com, in addition to the Bank Albilad application on smart devices, in order to serve Albilad customers and meet all their banking needs, and all valued customers can visit any of the The Bank’s 155 branches across the country to obtain the latest banking services that are compatible with Sharia rulings.
Agreement to launch the Educational Financing Fund
The people of knowledge are among the martyrs of the truth for the Almighty to say: {Allah testified that there is no god except him and the angels, and the knowledge is based on the cost, there is no god but the Mighty and the Wise} [Al-Imran: 18].
Al-Maarefa University, represented by His Excellency Mr. Abdulaziz Abu Bakr, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors – CEO and Managing Director, signed an agreement to launch the Educational Financing Fund with Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Foundation for Development Finance, represented by His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Al-Khamis, CEO of the Foundation, on Sunday, 26/1/2020 AD, to provide easy financing programs for students under the Qard Al-Hassan
system. The agreement comes to support cooperation in educational financing services, and to provide opportunities to study in higher education with a flexible payment mechanism without interest on the beneficiary, which contributes to granting greater opportunities to continue education for the groups targeted by the Fund.
The signing ceremony was attended by His Excellency Prof. Dr. Walid Abu Al-Faraj, Chancellor of the University, and on the part of the Foundation, His Excellency Dr. Abdul Rahman Suleiman Al-Rajhi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and a group of officials from both parties.
The agreement is considered a cornerstone and a real partnership between the two parties that will be launched in order to serve the student and the community, as it will facilitate the payment of the burden of the size of the tuition costs on families, in easy installments that take into account the income level of these families in sharing the support of private higher education with the private sector.
Al-Maarefa University signs a memorandum of understanding with the Financial System Alliance
In continuation of strengthening the strategic partnerships that AlMaarefa University is interested in achieving in terms of its social responsibilities, a partnership contract was concluded with the Financial System Alliance (Meeza Program) that includes supporting the employees of the financial system by granting its employees and their families special discounts from tuition fees at the university, as well as courses offered by the university’s Business Center.
This alliance includes the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, the Ministry of Finance, the Capital Market Authority, the Zakat and Income Authority, the Saudi Customs Authority, as well as the General Authority for State Real Estate.
The MoU was signed by His Excellency Mr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Mojil, Director of the Communication Department, and the University was represented by His Excellency Prof. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Zamil, Dean of Admission, Registration and Student Affairs, at the University’s headquarters in Diriyah on Tuesday, August 20, 2019.
UM college hosts 80 students in social Charity Fund Grants
The Social Charitable Fund and the Knowledge College of Science and Technology signed an educational scholarship agreement between the two sides within the framework of the directions of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Social Charitable Fund was represented by Adel bin Nassim Farhat, while it was signed on behalf of the College of Knowledge for Science and Technology by Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman Al-Mulhim, Dean of the College.
Dr. Zaid Al-Zamil, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al-Maarefa College, explained that the agreement provides for the acceptance of 80 male and female students for the semester 1432-1433 AH in order to educate them to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing, where the Social Charitable Fund pays the tuition costs and the College of Knowledge educates male and female students and provides them with skills and knowledge that help them improve their living conditions. He pointed out that the targets of this agreement are the children of needy families benefiting from social security services, accredited charities, charitable housing projects, the Committee for the Care of Prisoners, orphanages and the National Committee for Drug Control, giving priority to the children of families benefiting from social security, and the duration of this agreement is the duration of students’ study as of the date of joining the college.
Cooperation Agreement with WAMY
Agreement attached in the evidence file
In 1.09.2010, Al Maarefa University signed a cooperation agreement with WAMY in order to qualify and prepare the new youth generations to attain their proper education journey. This agreement provides educational grants including six majors starting from medicine, pharmacy, nursing, respiratory therapy and ending with computer science and information system. The period of the agreement is three years that could be renewable with the acceptance of the both parties.
WAMY Funds
WAMY; which stands for World Assembly of Muslim Youth; is an international Islamic educational organization whose stated purpose is “preserve the identity of Muslim youth and help overcome the problems they face in modern society”. WAMY was founded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1972, and it opened offices in countries with significant Muslim populations throughout the world. Reportedly the world’s largest Muslim organization, WAMY organizes conferences, symposia, educational workshops and research circles to address youth and students issues, in addition to football tournaments and European Muslim Scouts camps for Muslim youth in Europe. Along with the Muslim World League, it is part of a “worldwide network of largely Saudi-funded groups…promoting Islamic teachings and encouraging Muslims to be more religiously observant, as well as providing interested non-Muslims and recent converts with information about Islam”. It maintains satellite chapters in 31 other countries and is affiliated with some 196 other Muslim youth groups on five continents. It is concerned with some humanitarian programs, such as sponsoring orphans and helping areas afflicted by wars and natural disasters.
WAMY’s Aim
WAMY’s stated aim is “to preserve the Muslim identity, to help overcome the problems Muslim youth face in modern society”, and to “educate and train Muslim youth in order for them to become active and positive citizens in their countries”. WAMY aims to “Introduce Islam to non-Muslims in its purest form as a comprehensive system and way of life” and “to establish a relationship of dialogue, understanding and appreciation between other faith organizations”. It also aims to organize conferences, symposia, workshops and research circles to address youth and students issues. WAMY aims “to publish books, brochures, reports and exhibition material that best introduce Islam to non-Muslims in its holistic vision”, and best educate the Muslim youth about their role in the societies. WAMY aims to organize exchange visits, Hajj and Umrah trips and provide training and support to Muslim youth organizations in order to help them better fulfill their objectives.[5] The WAMY UK website states that “Our aim is to build bridges of peace and unity in our multicultural society. …Through educating the Muslim youth to the common good and promoting understanding among people of different communities.
WAMY team meets with the students and see the progress of the educational Process
Within the framework of the efforts made by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth in following up the students of the symposium scholarships studying in Saudi universities, the Department of Educational Affairs has prepared a program of visits and communication with the educational institutions in which the students of the symposium grants study, and in this context, a delegation from the Department of Educational Affairs consisting of the Head of the Scholarship Department, Mr. Abdullah bin Ali Al-Hamali, and Mr. Hussein bin Ahmed Al-Amoudi, visited the National Knowledge Colleges in Riyadh to discuss a number of common topics related to the educational process.
During the visit, officials in the faculties met and discussed a number of educational and academic issues related to the students of the symposium.
The delegation also held a meeting during the visit with the students of the symposium scholarships studying in the faculties, and a lengthy discussion took place, during which they answered the students’ inquiries and tried to find solutions to some of the obstacles that they may face during their studies.
It is worth mentioning that the World Assembly of Muslim Youth has been linked to the colleges by a joint memorandum of understanding for more than five years and has (22) male and female students studying in colleges, including (13) male and female students studying in human medicine and nine female students in pharmacy. Note that most students are currently studying in the internship year and their academic grade is not less than (excellent).
It is worth noting that the Global Symposium has 150 students within the scholarship program, studying in a number of public and private universities within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Agreement of the Charitable Society for Orphans Care (Ensan) and Al-Maarefa University
Al-Maarefa University signed a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation with the Charitable Society for Orphans Care “Ensan” on Tuesday, 23/04/2019 at the university’s headquarters in the southern hall of Sudair, where this agreement comes as an embodiment of the comprehensive renaissance experienced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at all levels, especially the health and education sectors, and to complete the message carried by the two parties, and as a contribution to building a knowledge and scientific society, and enhancing integration and participation between them in the frameworks of knowledge exchange And practical application, and since the reality of providing health services and building a knowledge society requires concerted and integrated efforts in everything that would advance these aspects, which enhances the importance of this agreement, and the importance of concerted efforts to achieve the goal of the agreement, and since the University of Knowledge is an academic scientific training institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, and it educates, trains and qualifies high school graduates to obtain a bachelor’s degree in medicine, surgery, pharmacy and the various health and technical specialties that you need All government and private sectors and the equivalent programs and training courses.
The university was represented by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Zaid bin Mohammed Al-Zamil, while the Association was represented by the Director General of the Association, Mr. Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Yousef, and a group of the Association’s employees and university employees participated in the signing ceremony.
This agreement aims to develop the human cadres sponsored by the association and qualify them to obtain a scientific degree in the fields available at the university and raise the level of performance of workers and students in advancing the medical services provided in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through education, training, continuous development and fruitful cooperation between the two parties in order to achieve part of the initiatives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Charitable Society for Orphans Care (Ensan)
Agreement attached in the evidence file
It is a non-governmental organization that cares for the orphans of Riyadh region in order to give them a decent life through quality programs that concern them and their mothers
KSA Ministry of education Scholarships
The Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques’ External Scholarship Program: Qualifying Competencies To Compete In The Labor Market And Scientific Research Globally And Locally
The approval of the High Commissioner was issued in 2005 AD for scholarships for those wishing to continue their university and higher studies to obtain academic degrees that meet the needs of the labor market and the requirements of development in the Kingdom, as the program has gone through a number of stages since its inception until today, and find out the most important obstacles facing them in their educational journey, as the second phase of the scholarship began in 2011 AD, and in the third phase came the experience of the project (Your Job Your Mission) in 2015, where the Ministry worked to link scholarships with the specializations required in the labor market to provide jobs for the scholarship.
In 2019 AD, the Ministry announced the end of the third phase of the scholarship, as it worked to organize a new path for scholarship, namely:
Path Of ExcEllence For Scholarships:
It aims to achieve the requirements of comprehensive development in accordance with the Kingdom’s 2030 vision; In order to raise the level of scientific qualification for male and female students through their scholarships to distinguished international educational institutions in a way that contributes to the development and refinement of their knowledge and capabilities in various fields and specializations, and the path is characterized by the presence of new and varied specializations that contribute to building a prosperous economy and support the promising sectors of the Kingdom such as tourism, tourism management and hospitality, and building competitive attractive to the Kingdom Like business administration, economics and human resources, as well as contributing to building a vibrant society and raising the quality of life, such as sports, sports management, environmental science and environmental management, all of this is to build an ambitious nation with its production and achievements and support the responsibility of its citizens to initiate and create opportunities to achieve the Kingdom’s aspirations in the next stage.
Required Majors:
The specializations required in the Scholarship Excellence Path include a number of specializations. The most important of which are: Business Administration, Sports and Sports Administration, Hospitality Management, Tourism and Tourism Management, Public Policy and Administration, Criminal Justice, Media and Communication Sciences, Social Sciences, Economics, Maritime Sciences, and National Security. Environmental sciences, environmental management, anthropology, political science and international relations, history, philosophy, geography, human resources, and social service.
Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Foundation
In order to achieve the students’ dream of completing the path of knowledge, the Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Foundation strengthens its relations and partnerships with public and private universities within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia #شركاء_مَسلك
Signing a joint cooperation agreement with Al-Maarefa University
In order to achieve the objectives of the National Transformation Program 2020 and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which seek equal access to education and ensure alignment between education outputs and labor market needs, thus contributing to advancing the economy, in addition to raising the contribution of the private and private sectors in university education.
Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Foundation for Development Finance builds bridges of cooperation between private and public universities within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to facilitate the integration of students in the educational sector by providing interest-free loans and easy repayment.
The Foundation signed a joint cooperation agreement with the knowledge, which is qualified competencies to participate in building a knowledge society, stimulating creativity, scientific and research excellence and community service.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rajhi and Prof. Dr. Waleed bin Hussein Abu Al-Faraj. The Foundation will provide financing loans for students to Al Yamamah University beneficiaries with flexible repayment without interest. The university should finance the fund’s financing portfolio with a value of 10 million riyals.