RIYADH, 23 April 2008 — Forty Saudi students were recently sent home from the United States for poor academic performance. The number includes two students who were deported after they were found guilty of criminal charges: one for attempted statutory rape and another for forging official documents.
Last year about 180 students were sent home from the United States, which is where over half of Saudi students on government scholarships go to study, for poor academic performance. According to the US Embassy, there are 15,000 Saudis studying in the US and that a very small number of them encounter legal problems.
Recently a series of forums have taken place to ready the next batch of college scholarship recipients. This is the second year of such student orientation.
The US Embassy offers optional pre-departure orientation sessions to students before they leave the Kingdom. Seven pre-departure orientations have been held in the last six months, and four more are scheduled through July.
