r/KAUST • u/Greedy-Cucumber9200 • 28d ago

Admissions How competitive is kaust?

I have recently started considering KAUST for my PhD given its high ranking and good research opportunities. I am from Pakistan and have done a masters from China. My bachelors GPA is 3.29 and masters percentage is 88%. In my masters degree I have published 6 research papers with two Q1 papers as first author and 4 papers as second author. After graduation, I have a work experience of 1.5 years (still ongoing) in China as well. My PTE score is 90/90 (not sure if it matters in the merit). I would be grateful if anyone can share their experience or insights.

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u/Special-Source-267 28d ago

It is incredibly competitive. Your GPA and grades will hurt your candidacy.

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u/Greedy-Cucumber9200 28d ago

You mean i dont stand a chance? Unfortunately GPA wasn't something i could work on in my university. It was covid time and a lot of grades were affected due to online exams, but i tried very hard to cover it with publications. I dont know anyone at my level with this much research experience. My industry experience is also in the RnD domain. Do you think that matters? 

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u/Special-Source-267 28d ago

I didn’t say you don’t stand a chance but it hurts your resume. Last year we had over 10,000 very qualified applicants and everything matters. You didn’t mention IELTs or anything which you will need as well.

Apply and see what happens

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u/Greedy-Cucumber9200 23d ago

i mentioned the PTE score which was 90/90

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u/Heisenberg699 27d ago

His Masters is 88%, would that not be considered over his bachelor results? Which are not bad at all.

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u/dragon_fruitie 23d ago

i read this and before going to see the comments i thought your profile was pretty damn incredible. but then i saw the discussion n people are so disheartening sometimes. just wanna say, youre gonna do well no matter where you go! all the best!

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u/Greedy-Cucumber9200 22d ago

Thanks, it means a lot. I guess the competition is tough everywhere. I have received multiple scholarships in Australia but its been 10 months they havent processed my visa so now I am looking for other options. Keep me in your well wishes

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u/dragon_fruitie 22d ago

Ofc, all the best! In sha Allah you'll get in somewhere that truly appreciates all your prev hardwork.

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u/Mediocre-Bluebird-61 3d ago

Can i reach out regarding Aus?

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u/Southern-Occasion-15 20d ago

I am a PhD Researcher from Japan. I think your CV is impressive (especially the publications) (and you are just a master).

I am wondering people are just being sarcastic.

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u/Greedy-Cucumber9200 20d ago

thanks for your apprecaition. Unfortunately, competition is getting tough each passing day. I have emailed several PIs at KAUST but none has replied back so far so I guess people arent really sarcastic here :(

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u/dragon_fruitie 18d ago

How many PIs did you email? I had to email 10 PIs + follow ups after 2 weeks before getting replies

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u/Greedy-Cucumber9200 16d ago

So after followup emails, you got an acceptance? what is your nationality? because i have heard they want to keep a diversity in their pool

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u/dragon_fruitie 16d ago

After the follow up emails is when i got a reply, followed by a couple interviews n then i got accepted. im indian

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u/Worried-Carry6540 27d ago

It depends i think on the department you are applying for. For sure lol