RIYADH: Students flocked to the EducationUSA college fair this week as it made its way across Saudi Arabia in a tour that began in Jeddah on Sunday before moving to Riyadh on Wednesday and Dhahran on Saturday.
With more than 80 US universities exhibiting in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran, the event offers students resources and direct access to university representatives to answer questions about studying abroad.
The fair drew hundreds of students excited to learn about higher education opportunities, including Kholoud Al-Saygh, a senior medical student in Riyadh who previously studied abroad in the US for an exchange semester in Kansas.
“The US has inspired me since I was growing up, and it’s an amazing country,” Al-Saygh told Arab News.
“My whole family studied there, my dad studied in Seattle, and he always talked fondly of Seattle, and I loved it,” she said.
“I wanted to have a similar experience. So I did find this UGRAD program, and I applied for it. It’s one semester, and it was more than I could ever imagine or hope for. It was amazing,” she said.
Al-Saygh said that after graduation, her next step would be pursuing residency programs to specialize in medicine at US universities.
The University of Utah’s highly ranked gaming program was a major draw, attracting Saudi students keen on developing skills that align with the country’s Vision 2030 national gaming and e-sports strategy.
University of Utah senior international officer Randy McCrillis highlighted the interest that he had witnessed from Saudi students looking to study gaming.
“We are the number one gaming program in the US, both at the undergrad and grad level. And the reason why is that we teach gaming in a different format.
“We actually teach the game, the whole environment.”
Leveraging its multifaceted approach to gaming education, the University of Utah drew significant interest, with many students expressing interest at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Arizona State University’s presence at the fair also drew a large crowd of Saudi students.
According to Nayara Dixon, assistant director, international recruitment initiatives for ASU, the university currently hosts 500 enrolled Saudi students, ranking it alongside the University of Michigan as one of the highest-enrolling US institutions for Saudis.
“The experience has been great … students show very good excitement to study at American universities,” Dixon told Arab News.
“Students had great questions, they’re very curious about studying in the US and learning about life in Arizona, so my experience has been nothing but positive,” she said. “The demand has been high.”
The 80 universities present at the fair included the University of Idaho, the University of Denver, St. John’s University, the Dave School, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Mary Washington, and many more.
