KAUST Fall 2015 Admission

[DespoForAdmit]

It went well even though it was a short conversation.  I got admitted.

 

Best of luck in your admission process!

Thanks, hope so I get an admit we will surely meet there.

[Fa91]

Hello, if any one who got accepted contact with uni about next steps ??

[jamidst]

Hi, for all who hasn't been contacted yet, dont give up hope.

 

I completed my application form the last days of December but I had had no response from the university until two weeks ago when I received an email for scheduling an interview. Three days later I recieved a second email for another interview. And this week I was invited to join a master programme this fall.

 

I feel very lucky and nervous at the same time

[malsawwaf]

Congratulations Jamidst. I hope everyone who hasn't heard back yet is next on the list

[Ersekaust]

Hello guys! I have my administrative interview on the 23rd of March in Istanbul. Any tips?

[abid.khan9]

this radio silence is maddening . 

applied for Ms/Phd EE on 2 Dec, 2014. 

NO Response till date. Nothing.

[malsawwaf]

It is nerve wracking .. Why would it take this long for a response?! If I am not on a waitlist, didn't get interviews, All POI's replied with positive things about my resume but that their groups are full .. So why isn't there a single update on my application? Why isn't their a decision yet? .... I hate this absolute silence ...

[eshansingh]

Hello Friends
I am a little new to this forum. 
Just wanted to share that I have recently accepted a doctoral position at KAUST in Mechanical Engineering in Fall, 2015. 
I had my interview on 11th Feb, 2015.

A few details about me are:

Nationality: Indian

GRE: 153(V)165(A)

TOEFL: 110

Journals: 2

Conferences: 3
Research experiences at National Laboratory and Indian Institute of Science.

I was initially waitlisted for sometime. My to-be-guide gave me full support during the application process and I believe, recommended my case of admission. 

However, he himself mentioned that the university seeks people from different countries (diverse backgrounds) as it has to portray itself as a global university with students from so many countries, and students who have been meritorious academically (topper of their batches). 

I hope to meet great minds like you people there and have a memorable time ahead. 
It would be great to hear from any of you admitted/waiting or rejected.

Thanks

[sujith]

Hello Friends

I am a little new to this forum. 

Just wanted to share that I have recently accepted a doctoral position at KAUST in Mechanical Engineering in Fall, 2015. 

I had my interview on 11th Feb, 2015.

A few details about me are:

Nationality: Indian

GRE: 153(V)165(A)

TOEFL: 110

Journals: 2

Conferences: 3

Research experiences at National Laboratory and Indian Institute of Science.

I was initially waitlisted for sometime. My to-be-guide gave me full support during the application process and I believe, recommended my case of admission. 

However, he himself mentioned that the university seeks people from different countries (diverse backgrounds) as it has to portray itself as a global university with students from so many countries, and students who have been meritorious academically (topper of their batches). 

I hope to meet great minds like you people there and have a memorable time ahead. 

It would be great to hear from any of you admitted/waiting or rejected.

Thanks

Hello Eshan,

I too applied for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

I actually applied for an open position advertised in the University webpage in the CCRC (clean combustion) lab.

I had a skype interview with the project head and the director of the center . The professor later asked me to apply online .

I have not heard anyhting since then nor have i had an "academic interview".

Could you kindly share your interview experience? Did you have two rounds of interview as most people here in the forum seem to suggest?

I am from India, have a masters degree from US with 8 journal publications and 8 years of R&D experience.

Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thanks

[eshansingh]

Hello Eshan,

I too applied for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

I actually applied for an open position advertised in the University webpage in the CCRC (clean combustion) lab.

I had a skype interview with the project head and the director of the center . The professor later asked me to apply online .

I have not heard anyhting since then nor have i had an "academic interview".

Could you kindly share your interview experience? Did you have two rounds of interview as most people here in the forum seem to suggest?

I am from India, have a masters degree from US with 8 journal publications and 8 years of R&D experience.

Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thanks

Hey sujith

I actually contacted professors before applying to KAUST. The professor informally interviewed me while his visit to India (I was a little lucky on this front you may say). 

I had a single interview which catered only to the life at KAUST, my credentials and diversity, why KAUST etc etc. (you know basically HR questions, because the interview was not by CCRC people but people in administration I guess.

Your profile is extremely good and I hope that you get a better college. 

I was however in double minds about KAUST. It would be very kind of you to throw some light on it (compared to US universities).

I hope I helped.

Please dont hesitate to ask anything you have in mind.

Best Regards

Eshan

[sujith]

Hey sujith

I actually contacted professors before applying to KAUST. The professor informally interviewed me while his visit to India (I was a little lucky on this front you may say). 

I had a single interview which catered only to the life at KAUST, my credentials and diversity, why KAUST etc etc. (you know basically HR questions, because the interview was not by CCRC people but people in administration I guess.

Your profile is extremely good and I hope that you get a better college. 

I was however in double minds about KAUST. It would be very kind of you to throw some light on it (compared to US universities).

I hope I helped.

Please dont hesitate to ask anything you have in mind.

Best Regards

Eshan

Thanks for the reply Eshan.

Glad it worked out well for you. Good luck!

A few reasons why i chose KAUST were the work content advertised in CCRC lab, the project supervisor & ofcourse the stipend for Phd students which is by far the highest in the world.However, i have also applied to EPFL Lausanne & University of Exeter and few other Universities in Europe. I am only looking for fully funded positions with studentships on offer. I should know the outcome of all the Universities by end of April.

Do you have offers from any other Universities or are you awaiting replies from any?

[eshansingh]

Thanks for the reply Eshan.

Glad it worked out well for you. Good luck!

A few reasons why i chose KAUST were the work content advertised in CCRC lab, the project supervisor & ofcourse the stipend for Phd students which is by far the highest in the world.However, i have also applied to EPFL Lausanne & University of Exeter and few other Universities in Europe. I am only looking for fully funded positions with studentships on offer. I should know the outcome of all the Universities by end of April.

Do you have offers from any other Universities or are you awaiting replies from any?

Hey Sujith

Glad to hear back from you.

I had quite many non-funded offers in which I was not interested, because I could not have self-financed my doctoral studies.

I recently received offer from WayneState University and am positive about hearing from Colorado State University. 

I am aware of the prowess of KAUST in terms of experimental facilities, yet something makes me a little unsure, always.

Hope you can tell me about a comparison between the univs I mentioned.

I believe, its better to go for KAUST comapred to Wayne State Univ. 

Not quite sure which is better among KAUST, Colorado State University and Indian Institute of Science (thats where I currently am, so that is always an option).

Hope you can shed your share of knowledge on this.

Best Regards

[sujith]

Hey Sujith

Glad to hear back from you.

I had quite many non-funded offers in which I was not interested, because I could not have self-financed my doctoral studies.

I recently received offer from WayneState University and am positive about hearing from Colorado State University. 

I am aware of the prowess of KAUST in terms of experimental facilities, yet something makes me a little unsure, always.

Hope you can tell me about a comparison between the univs I mentioned.

I believe, its better to go for KAUST comapred to Wayne State Univ. 

Not quite sure which is better among KAUST, Colorado State University and Indian Institute of Science (thats where I currently am, so that is always an option).

Hope you can shed your share of knowledge on this.

Best Regards

Hey Eshan,

I can understand your apprehensions.You are right about wayne state. I had got an admit form wayne state for my masters but did not choose it. Colorado is a good option if you are getting 100% funding with a monthly stipend.IISC ofcourse would be the best amongst the three. However,an international outlook always helps and an international PhD would add a lot of value to your resume in the future. So it boils down to colorado vs KAUST. In terms of international recognition, a degree from the US is generally weighed more in the US and Europe when compared to a degree from the middle east. The big plus as you said about KAUST is the lab facilities they have. If you are really convinced with the research topic(based on your discussions with the prof), go with KAUST. the other thing to consider is what are your options after a PhD. If you are looking for a postdoc, a PhD from either Colorado or KASUT doesnt count much. The only thing that counts is your research topic. But if you are looking for work in the US or Europe, a degree from Colorado/any other US Universities will have a higher weightage compared to KASUT. Hope this helps.

If you dont mind, can you tell me the fellowship KASUT offered? Is it 30000 USD a year? Have they offerd free housing/medical insurance too?

[eshansingh]

Hey Eshan,

I can understand your apprehensions.You are right about wayne state. I had got an admit form wayne state for my masters but did not choose it. Colorado is a good option if you are getting 100% funding with a monthly stipend.IISC ofcourse would be the best amongst the three. However,an international outlook always helps and an international PhD would add a lot of value to your resume in the future. So it boils down to colorado vs KAUST. In terms of international recognition, a degree from the US is generally weighed more in the US and Europe when compared to a degree from the middle east. The big plus as you said about KAUST is the lab facilities they have. If you are really convinced with the research topic(based on your discussions with the prof), go with KAUST. the other thing to consider is what are your options after a PhD. If you are looking for a postdoc, a PhD from either Colorado or KASUT doesnt count much. The only thing that counts is your research topic. But if you are looking for work in the US or Europe, a degree from Colorado/any other US Universities will have a higher weightage compared to KASUT. Hope this helps.

If you dont mind, can you tell me the fellowship KASUT offered? Is it 30000 USD a year? Have they offerd free housing/medical insurance too?

Thank you for your reply friend

Lot of help certainly

The KAUST fellowship is a $75000 offer (annual) which includes a base stipend of $25,000 per year (rising to $30,000 upon passage into doctoral candidacy), remission of tuition ($35,000), housing, relocation travel, and medical insurance ($15,000).

Housing is provided on campus, and all students are required to live on campus.

The scholarship is given monthly depending on your annual pay.

What is the fellowship usually in US universities?

[sujith]

Thank you for your reply friend

Lot of help certainly

The KAUST fellowship is a $75000 offer (annual) which includes a base stipend of $25,000 per year (rising to $30,000 upon passage into doctoral candidacy), remission of tuition ($35,000), housing, relocation travel, and medical insurance ($15,000).

Housing is provided on campus, and all students are required to live on campus.

The scholarship is given monthly depending on your annual pay.

What is the fellowship usually in US universities?

No problem eshan and thanks for the info on the fellowship. In the US, you could expect an annual gross stipend of 25000-30000$ . You would loose a few hundred dollars of tax a month(most of which you get back end of the year). However you would have to bear housing expenses on your own . In UK it is about 14000 pounds nett(tax free) a year.

[eshansingh]

No problem eshan and thanks for the info on the fellowship. In the US, you could expect an annual gross stipend of 25000-30000$ . You would loose a few hundred dollars of tax a month(most of which you get back end of the year). However you would have to bear housing expenses on your own . In UK it is about 14000 pounds nett(tax free) a year.

Thanks mate

I wish you the best for your doctoral aspirations. 

eshantorres@yahoo.com

Feel free to contact anytime

[GIGN]

April 10th already and no reply from them. Should I just give up hope. Applied to electrical engineering masters. They said on their website that they will be reviewing applications until april 9. Will they atleast send a rejection letter?

[leena15]

I applied to Computer Science. I did the personal interview on 10th March but did not get the final response yet. I know other people got accepted in March even though their interview was after mine. When I asked the admission office they said it is still under review. Should I give up hope already?

The waiting is tiring..

[malsawwaf]

No giving up guys .. Remember that you didn't get rejected yet .. Also, note that on the website is said "Applications for Fall 205 are currently being reviewed and will be accepted through April 9" this means that up to April 9th, applicant were able to submit applications .. but it doesn't mean that reviews have ended ..

 

If you have other options, you can decide to go with them, otherwise, don't give up hope yet .. until you get that decision, there is hope.

 

I am in the same train as you .. I haven't even gotten an interview yet .. and I have applied way back in December before the first deadline .. "If it was meant to be for you .. then no one else will get it" Keep this in mind

 

I know how nerve wracking this waiting is .... and believe me I have went through all the stages of depression .. but there is still this part of me which thinks "what if?"

 

What if they like my resume but they are waiting for someone to decline so they can accept me? what if they are actually not finished reviewing and I am next?

 

Remember that some people got waitlisted, and so If they reviewed our resumes and liked us but the program was full, they would have either waitlisted us or rejected us .. but neither happened so in my case, the CS PhD is not full yet

 

Keep your hopes up .. but still balance your feelings so you are not shocked if the decision was not in your favor .. Soon everything will be revealed and everyone will have the closure they deserve ..

 

I hope I am helping at least a little bit .. I am going through everything you guys are going through and I am a citizen of Saudi Arabia currently finishing my M.S .. so this is seriously an amazing opportunity for me and I absolutely wish I will be accepted

 

Best of luck to everyone

[leena15]

I am Saudi. Sometimes I wish I took IELTS/TOEFL before applying to CS master program. I hope that the English test is not the reason for delaying my acceptance (after Allah's will of course). Or maybe because they are focusing on diversity as said here. I thought that April 9th is the deadline for accepting/rejecting already submitted applications, not the deadline for applying to KAUST.

Hope we hear from them soon.

[Yudhajit]

Hay , I am from India. I Have applied to KAUST fall 2015 chemistry program. I have 2 journal  publications one in Chem comm (Royal Society of Chemistry) and other in ACS sustainable chemistry and engineering (American Chemical Society) . one of which I am 1st author.  I have got 2 years of research experience, one year of teaching. does anyone still waiting to hear back from kaust. Chemistry PhD? my status is still submitted. .....  I have applied 30th Jan 2015. 

 

TOEFL : 90 (W:25 L:23 S: 22 R:20) 

[DespoForAdmit]

Hi! I have been conferred with an admit for the CS MS/PhD program and they have given me 14 days to respond. I am waiting for offers from another two universities in Europe and have been given an unfunded offer at a reputed US university. I just wanted to know if accepting the offer at KAUST is the right decision in the form of reputation and future prospects.

 

Thank you

[Fa91]

No update ?

[Emmadare93]

hello people.

I'm thinking of applying for fall 2016. had 5.2/7 Gp. I've not written TOEFL .is my GP strong enough?

[Lindsay1986]

I applied to MSc. Computer Science. I did the personal interview on 18th Jun but did not get the final response yet. When I asked the admission office they said it is still under review. Is there someone waiting like me ??

 

 I HATE WAITING :'(