BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1569051
Exploring Perceptions, Challenges, and Aspirations of Saudi Scholarship Students Abroad: A Qualitative Insight
Provisionally accepted
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
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Introduction: International education serves as a human capital development strategy for knowledge-based economies. Saudi Arabia's overseas scholarship investment, aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, provides insights into how international education contributes to national development goals. Aims/Objectives: This study aimed to explore the academic, cultural, and personal experiences of Saudi postgraduate students abroad, identify challenges upon return, and offer actionable insights to enhance institutional support. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis were conducted with 44 Saudi postgraduate students (32 PhD, 12 Master's) studying in five countries under government scholarships. Data collection occurred between November 2024 and March 2025, focusing on academic development, cultural adaptation, institutional support, and national development aspirations. Results: Five themes emerged: academic and professional development (91% of participants, n=40), cultural adaptation challenges leading to enhanced competencies (75%, n=33), alignment with Vision 2030 objectives (80%, n=35), inconsistent institutional support (52% adequate, n=23; 48% inadequate, n=21), and reintegration concerns (86%, n=38). Gender differences emerged in adaptation strategies, with disciplinary variations in support needs and reintegration concerns. Discussion/Conclusion: International scholarship programs demonstrate measurable academic and professional development outcomes while revealing systematic support gaps. Addressing institutional framework deficiencies and reintegration barriers could optimize human capital returns on educational investment.
Keywords: academic development, Cultural adjustment, Institutional support, postgraduate education, Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030
Received: 31 Jan 2025; Accepted: 30 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wali. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Saad Mohammednoor (M) Wali, Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.