MAKKAH, 21 July — The Umm Al-Qura University of Makkah has reported an unprecedented rush for admission this academic year set to begin in September. Dr. Naser Al-Saleh, acting rector, said the university could accept only 5,540 boys and girls out of 20,000 candidates who have applied for admission.
Al-Saleh said the number of students who sought admission to science faculties was five times more than the number of seats available. For arts faculties, the number was twice as much the university could absorb.
Demand was the heaviest for computer science courses. “The applicants to this department was ten times more than what we could offer,” said Al-Saleh.
Now the big question is where will the 15,000 secondary school graduates left out by the university go. Saud Al-Talhi said he had applied for admission to the military college and the education college as well as the Umm Al-Qura.
Al-Talhi is worried about his future after he was rejected by the university. “If I fail to gain a seat in any of the tow colleges, I don’t know where will I turn to,” said Al-Talhi. “I may have to take up whatever job that comes my way if all doors are closed in my face.”
Nada Bukhari, a high school graduate with an “A” grade, said she had applied for admission to the computer science department but was not sure she would be accepted. “They said they would go strictly by merit,” she said.
Nada, who scored 93 percent in the qualifying examination, said if there were a large number of applicants with higher grades “I don’t stand a chance.”
An official at the department said the demand was so high that it would not be unusual to find students with “A” grades rejected.
Muhammad Abdullah said only one of his two sisters who graduated from high school — with 98 percent and 90 percent — could gain admission. “This is unbelievable that an “A” grader is rejected by the university. My sister is very much disappointed,” said Abdullah.
Writers, columnists, academics and members of the public have all urged the authorities to take the situation seriously. They call for setting up new universities and to expand the existing ones to take in more students.
After failing to enter universities in the Kingdom, a large number of Saudi students sought admission in Yemeni universities last year. Saudi universities had rejected high school graduates who did not score more than 80 percent marks. Many students chose Yemeni universities because the costs were low and procedures for admission flexible.
