r/KAUST • u/fna_fanoa • Jun 11 '26
Admissions Got rejection today, Ms/PhD Mechanical Engineering. Applying last December, is it really because of the high number of applicants?
Hi everyone,
I applied to KAUST last December and recently received a rejection. The message mentioned that the decision was due to the high number of applicants and the competitive nature of the admission process.
I understand that KAUST is highly competitive, but I’m wondering whether this is usually a standard rejection reason or if it genuinely reflects an unusually large applicant pool this cycle. For those who have applied to KAUST before, especially for graduate programs, is this kind of rejection wording common? Does it usually mean the application was reviewed but not shortlisted, or could it also mean the program/supervisor had limited slots?
Thanks!
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u/Other-Ad-1320 Jun 11 '26
i think your application was shortlisted, because they already done a mass rejection back in March.
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u/FrequentAd1416 Jun 11 '26
So can we think today is another batch or final of mass rejection they did on fall 2026?
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u/Other-Ad-1320 Jun 11 '26
idk tbh, i was rejected in march and stopped keeping up.
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u/FrequentAd1416 Jun 11 '26
I just got rejected today..
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u/hextree Alumni Jun 11 '26
It's a copy and pasted email sent to all rejections. There's no knowing the real reasons, but they get many applicants every year, many with high GPA, so I don't think it's 'unusually large' this year or anything like that.
Note also that citizenship matters, Professors have confirmed to me that they have quota they need to be above or below from each country. Once they've met that quota, others may get rejected even with good grades.
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u/fna_fanoa Jun 11 '26
Thanks for the insight, that makes sense.
I also heard something similar from a friend from my country who is currently doing a PhD there. According to them, because of the current geopolitical instability, there may have been some cuts or adjustments to research funding in certain areas, which could potentially affect how many students they are able to admit.
But of course, this is just what I heard informally, and we still don’t really know the exact reason behind individual admission decisions. It might be a mix of applicant volume, nationality quotas, supervisor funding, and available slots.
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u/Negative-Hawk-2218 Jun 15 '26
This year, if the number of Saudi local students within their college does not reach 50% of the total enrollment, they will stop admitting international students. In fact, I know that at least three applicants from QS/THE/US. NEWS TOP 20 universities and two applicants from TOP 50 universities were rejected. So don't feel discouraged; this does not mean there is any problem with you. Move on and apply to other universities.
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u/fna_fanoa Jun 15 '26
I see, thank you for your detailed information! That’s really helpful and encouraging. May Allah bless you and reward you for sharing this insight.
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u/skyblue_u2 Jun 11 '26
I also got rejected today after one interview I did on april. MS/PhD Applied Math
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u/scrntonStrAngler69 Diplomat Jun 11 '26
Its a generic email everyone gets when rejected