Study in Saudi Arabia Portal Guide for Pakistani Students (studyinsaudi.sa)

What is the correct Study in Saudi portal address in 2026?

The portal is at studyinsaudi.sa. When checked in September 2026, studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa returned a blank page and did not redirect anywhere. Most scholarship blogs, including several ranking on the first page of Google, still publish that dead address. Following their instructions leads nowhere.

Two checks protect you: Saudi government sites end in .sa. The genuine portal displays a Digital Government Authority registration number, 20260418673, which links to the authority's register. Lookalike domains imitating the old government address exist, including at least one using a .online suffix. Type the address yourself rather than clicking a link from a blog or a WhatsApp forward.

The site lists more than 50 public and private universities. Competitor guides commonly say 27. That gap is a reliable signal that a page has not been updated since the migration.

How do I create a Study in Saudi account from Pakistan?

Registration is free and takes a few minutes, but two of the fields you enter cannot be corrected later. The Ministry's published user manual documents the sequence below:

1. Renew your passport first if it expires within a year: A passport number can only be updated while your account is new and no application has been submitted; once you apply under that number it cannot be changed.
2. Open studyinsaudi.sa and choose the new user option: Select the ID type that applies to you and fill in your details as requested.
3. Verification Code: Pick how you want your one-time verification code delivered, then enter the code. A verification email follows, containing a link to activate your username and set your password.
4. Name Entry: Enter your name exactly as printed on your passport. Include middle names and the exact spelling the passport office used. This field follows you into your admission letter and your visa.
5. Spam Folder: Check your email spam folder if the activation message does not arrive. Pakistani mobile networks and free email providers both delay one-time codes.

Why can't I apply to any programme yet?

Because registering an account is not the same as being eligible to apply. The portal displays a notice that your profile is incomplete and prompts you to complete it before applying to academic programmes. Until every section is filled, programme applications stay closed to you. This is the single most common reason a Pakistani applicant sits on the portal for days without progress.

Times Higher Education describes the same gate: students must finish their online profile, covering personal information, educational background, passport details and contact information, before applying to universities.

💡 Practical order of work: Complete the profile in one sitting with your passport, transcripts and a working phone in front of you. Then browse programmes. Doing it the other way around wastes the window.

Should a Pakistani applicant choose the internal or external track?

External, in almost every case. The external track is for applicants residing outside Saudi Arabia, while the internal track is for non-Saudi nationals who already hold valid Saudi residency. If you are applying from Lahore, Karachi or anywhere else in Pakistan, you are an external applicant.

The exception is a Pakistani student already living in the Kingdom on a family iqama, typically the child of a Pakistani worker in Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam. That student applies on the internal track.

The Ministry manual places this choice on the applicant details screen, alongside your personal information, before you save and continue. It is an early field and easy to click past. Getting it wrong generally means starting again rather than editing.

What does the application form ask for?

The Ministry's user manual sets out the sections in order: after agreeing to the terms, you enter applicant details and scholarship type, then address and contact info, then academic qualifications, then language info, then chosen universities, and finally documents.

• Select multiple universities: The form lets you add multiple institutions. Applicants who name only one narrow their odds for no reason.
• Social Media fields: The manual instructs applicants without Twitter or Facebook to enter "Not Available" rather than leaving fields blank.
• Required vs Optional documents: The attachments step has both sections. Upload everything in Arabic or English. Urdu certificates need a certified translation first. See our document attestation checklist for Pakistani applicants.

What can I change after I submit, and what do the statuses mean?

Very little, so review before you click. Contact information can be updated at any time, but other application data cannot be modified after submission.

Once submitted, your application goes to the educational institution for review. A status of "Under Process" means the institution is reviewing your application under its approved procedures. It is a normal state, not a problem or error.

Mistakes that stall Pakistani applicants on the portal

• Registering with a passport that expires soon (number locks on submission).
• Assuming registration equals application (profile gate blocks you).
• Selecting the internal track from Pakistan (external track is required).
• Applying to one university only (multiple choices allowed).
• Uploading Urdu documents untranslated.
• Leaving fields blank instead of writing "Not Available".
• Using a blog's dead link instead of typing studyinsaudi.sa directly.

Frequently Asked Questions