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Admission to Kuwait University | VD Student Affairs

General Admission Regulations

  1. Admission at the University is limited to Secondary School graduates, according to the set categories, who graduated from Secondary School within a maximum of four semesters or two academic years.
  2. Admission at the University occurs twice every academic year according to the general regulations of admission and admission dates, as announced by the Deanship of Admission and Registration.
  3. Students’ applications that achieved a higher Secondary School percentage, or its equivalent, than the minimum set by the University are accepted. Applicants must also meet the other requirements set for admission, as well as any College-specific regulations.

    The minimum acceptable Secondary School percentage is as follows:  
    • Science Major: 70% or more, or GPA of 2.5
    • Liberal Arts Major: 78% or more, or GPA of 2.9

Acceptance of the admission application does not guarantee admission in the University.

  1. Kuwait University accepts disabled Kuwaiti students and children of Kuwaiti Women who have graduated from special-needs schools according to the minimum Secondary School percentage set by the Deanship of Admission and Registration. The application of disabled students graduating from other schools will be evaluated by members of theMedicineCollege. In all cases, the disabled student should provide a medical report and a certificate supporting their limitation (issued by the Public Authority for Disabled Affairs). The minimum acceptable Secondary School percentage is as follows:
    • Science Major: 65% or more, or GPA of 2.25
    • Liberal Arts Major: 72% or more, or GPA of 2.6
  2. The Deanship of Admission and Registration determines the sub-majors for students once they meet the major conditions as devised by the concerned University committees.
  3. Admission to College of Engineering & Petroleum is limited to Secondary School graduates with Science Major, or its equivalent.
  4. The term “Kuwaiti applicants” in all admission and transfer regulations includes children of Kuwaiti women of determined nationality who hold a Kuwaiti Civil ID, whereas the term “non-Kuwaitis” includes applicants from other nationalities who are allowed to join the University in accordance with the rules set.
  5. Applicants whose Secondary School percentage or Equivalent Grade Point Average is equal to or higher than the minimum percentage for immediate admission set by the Deanship of Admission and Registration, upon receipt of the application form, are accepted immediately in the College.
  6. Applicants who do not meet the minimum percentage for immediate admission will be considered for admission after the end of the admission period, where students are distributed to Colleges based on the available seats in various specializations according to their choices in the application forms and their Secondary School percentage or Equivalent Grade Point Average.
  7. An applicant is admitted with the condition that he/she studies in the semester in which he/she is admitted, and admission is canceled if the applicant does not study in that semester. An admitted applicant (other than those who have University staff grants, the Rector of the University grants, top students grants) can postpone the acceptance once for the following semester, by applying for postponement within the period set for considering postponement applications, in accordance with the rules set by the Student’s Affairs Committee at the University. When a Secondary School graduate is accepted, he/she is exempted from any courses he/she may have studied before joining Kuwait University, in accordance with the system of non-degree students at the University on the condition that he/she gets a “C” at least, or “P” in remedial courses, or in case the applicant has taken the courses in another University which satisfies all of the transfer regulations of universities whose applications of transfer to Kuwait University are accepted. In this case, the applicant is exempted from these courses after they are equalized atKuwaitUniversity, according to the applied regulations on transferred students from other universities. The grades that the applicants earned in the studied courses, while studying under the system of non-degree students atKuwaitUniversityor in another University, do not count towards their GPA at the University (general or major).
  8. The minimum Secondary School percentage or Equivalent Grade Point Average of admitted Kuwaiti applicants in the second semester is the same as that in the first semester. Non-Kuwaiti applicants in the second semester are admitted according to the number of available seats.
  9. Non-Kuwaiti applicants are admitted after determining the minimum Secondary School percentage or Equivalent Grade Point Average of admitted Kuwaiti applicants, while noting that their Secondary School percentage or Equivalent Grade Point Average cannot be lower than that of admitted Kuwaiti applicants of the same gender in the same discipline.
  10. Prospective students must be full-time students, and applicants must sign official documents to that effect when applying; the University reserves the right to expel students if this condition is breached, unless he/she has a prior approval from the University to combine education and work.
  11. When a freshman decides to withdraw from the University – after registering for courses – within the first six weeks of the start of study, the Deanship of Admission and Registration withdraws him/her from the registered courses. However, if the student withdraws from the University after that period, he/she should withdraw the courses through the Student’s Affairs Committee. A freshman who withdraws from the University may re-apply to the University, in accordance with the admission regulations at that time.
  12. A graduate of Kuwait University, a student who has discontinued his/her education at the University, a student who withdrew after studying several courses, or a student who was expelled from the University may not apply as a new student.
  13. It is possible to substitute the results of (TOEFL, IELTS or IBT) for the Academic Aptitude Tests, as long as their TOEFL score is higher than 310, and their IBT/IELTS score is higher than one.  

College-Specific Admission Regulations

  1. The Secondary School percentage (Science Major) should be no less than 80% (or its equivalent).
  2. Priority of admission is given to applicants who have the highest Equivalent Grade Point Average calculated by the Secondary School percentage and the results of aptitude tests as follows:
  3. 70% for the Secondary School percentage
  4. 15% for the result of the English Language Test
  5. 15% for the result of the Mathematics Test

Acceptable Secondary School Certificates

Kuwait University accepts the following Secondary School Certificates, in accordance with any set conditions for each certificate:

  1. General Secondary School Certificate (Unified System, Science & Liberal Arts Majors), or its equivalent.
  2. General Secondary School Certificate from abroad: The certificate should be a recognized degree, and it should be evaluated by the Ministry of Education inKuwait as equivalent to the Kuwaiti General Secondary School Certificate in Liberal Arts or Science Majors.
  3. English Secondary School GCE, GCSE, IGCSE
  4. American Secondary School.

Admission Categories

Admission in Kuwait University is available for the following categories, in accordance with the conditions of admission for each category. Non-Kuwaiti categories of applicants compete as one group for the seats allocated for non-Kuwaitis, unless it is clearly stated that a certain category has priority over others.

  • Kuwaitis and children of Kuwaiti women
  • Non-Kuwaitis, including the following sub-categories
    • a. Spouses of Kuwaiti citizens
    • b. Children of Kuwaiti women of undetermined nationality
    • c. Undetermined nationality (15 seats)
    • d. Spouses of Kuwaiti citizens of undetermined nationality (5 seats)
    • e. GCC citizens (5% of total seats; 1% for citizens of each GCC country)
    • f. Children and spouses of Faculty Members and Language Teachers
    • g. Children of Diplomats
    • h. Children of Martyrs
    • i. University staff grants (20 seats)
    • j. The Rector of Kuwait University’s grants (50 seats)
    • k. Top students grants for non-Kuwaitis (15 seats****)
    • l. Cultural grants

General Requirements

The applicant must include the following documents with the application form:

1. A complete admission application, signed by the applicant.

2. The original Secondary School Certificate.

3. A valid Civil ID (or Security ID for undetermined nationality) and a copy of it.

4. A certificate indicating the Secondary School that the applicant has studied all years in (for graduates ofAmericanSecondary School).

5. The Secondary School certificate should be evaluated by the Private Education Department in the Ministry of Education (for graduates of foreign Secondary School and from abroad).

6. Passport photocopy.

7. TOFEL, ITELTS or TOFEL IBT results (if available).

8. Two recent colored photos of the applicant.

9. Payment of 10 KD non-refundable as an application fee.

10. Other documents to prove the admission category of the applicant (for non-Kuwaitis).

First Category: Kuwaitis and children of Kuwaiti women (identified nationality)

Children of Kuwait women are treated equal to Kuwaitis in terms of the admission process.

Additional required documents (for children of Kuwait women)

  1. An original and a copy of the birth certificate.
  2. An original and a copy of the Civil ID of the mother.
  3. An original and a copy of the nationality certificate of the mother.
  4. A letter of salary transfer from any local bank.

Second Category: Non-Kuwaitis, including the following sub-categories

a. Spouses of Kuwaiti citizens (identified nationality)

Applicants in this category compete for admission in all University Colleges for the allocated seats, in accordance with admission conditions for non-Kuwaiti applicants.

Additional required documents

  1. An original and a copy of the marriage certificate.
  2. An original and a copy of the Civil ID (of wife or husband).
  3. An original and a copy of the nationality certificate (of wife or husband).
b. Children of Kuwaiti women of undetermined nationality (150 seats)

Applicants are distributed to all University Colleges according to the number of available seats per College and the minimum averages of admitted Kuwaiti applicants.

Additional required documents

  1. An original and a copy of a valid Security ID.
  2. An original and a copy of the birth certificate.
  3. An original and a copy of the nationality certificate (of the Kuwaiti mother).
  4. An original and a copy of the Civil ID (of the Kuwaiti mother).
  5. A letter of salary transfer from any local bank. 
c. Undetermined nationality (15 seats)

Applicants of undetermined nationality (not children of Kuwaiti women) may be admitted if they hold Kuwaiti Secondary School Certificates (80% and 85% at least for Science and Liberal Arts Major, respectively).

Additional required documents

  1. An original and a copy of a valid Security ID. 
d. Spouses of Kuwaiti citizens of undetermined nationality (5 seats)

Additional required documents

  1. An original and a copy of a valid Security ID.
  2. An original and a copy of the Civil ID (of wife or husband).
  3. An original and a copy of the nationality certificate (of wife or husband).
  4. An original and a copy of the marriage contract. 
e. GCC citizens (5% of total seats; 1% for citizens of each GCC country)

GCC citizens residing inKuwaitare accepted in all University Colleges, provided that the applicants have passed all years of Secondary School at Kuwaiti schools, pending the availability of seats.

Additional required documents

  1. A certificate indicating that the applicant has studied all Secondary School years inKuwait. 
f. Children and spouses of Faculty Members and Language Teachers

Children and spouses of non-Kuwaiti Faculty Members and Language Teachers are admitted in all University Colleges. Children and spouses of faculty members in the Center for Medical Sciences and College of Engineering & Petroleum have the priority to be accepted in these colleges, bearing in mind that their average is not less than the  minimum Equivalent Grade Point Average of accepted Kuwaiti applicants.

Additional required documents

  1. An official letter from the Department of Faculty Members and Language Teachers Affairs. 
g. Children of Diplomats

Children of members of the Diplomatic missions accredited in the State of Kuwait and with whichKuwaithas bilateral diplomatic representation are admitted in all University Colleges.

Additional required documents

  1. An official letter from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that the parent is among the members of the diplomatic mission of his/her country in Kuwait. 
h. Children of Martyrs

Children of non-Kuwaitis and undetermined nationality martyrs are admitted in University Colleges, provided that the applicants have studied all Secondary School years at Kuwaiti schools.

Additional required documents

  1. A certificate indicating that the applicant has studied all Secondary School years inKuwait.
  2. An official letter from the martyrs’ office stating that the applicant is the son/daughter of a martyr. 
i. University staff grants (20 seats)

Spouses and children of University staff members are admitted in all Colleges according to the allocated number by the University Council. The applicant should have studied all Secondary School years at Kuwaiti schools with a minimum Secondary School percentage of 75% for Science Major and 80% for Liberal Arts Major. Priority of admission depends on the years of the parent’s service at the University. The applicants will be distributed to the University Colleges according to their Secondary School Certificate percentage. The admitted applicant should register and study the first semester he/she is accepted in; otherwise, his/her admission will be canceled.

Additional required documents

  1. A certificate indicating that the applicant has studied all Secondary School years inKuwait.
  2. An official letter from the Staff Administrative Affairs indicating that the applicant’s guardian is currently employed at the University.
j. The Rector of Kuwait University’s grants (50 seats)

The applicant should have studied in Kuwaiti schools with a minimum percentage of 75% for Science Major and 80% for Liberal Arts Major. The admitted applicant should register and study the first semester he/she is accepted in; otherwise, his/her admission will be canceled.

k. Top students grants for non-Kuwaitis (15 seats****)

The University allocates seats for top non-Kuwaiti Secondary School graduates (Unified System); ten of these seats go for Science Major top applicants and five for the Liberal Arts Major top applicants. Only the top ten Science Major graduates and only the top five Liberal Arts Major graduates compete for these seats, according to their Secondary School percentage. The admitted applicant should register and study the first semester he/she is accepted in; otherwise, his/her admission will be canceled. Priority of admission is given to graduates of the current academic year.

l. Cultural grants

The Deanship of Students’ Affairs presents to the Deanship of Admission and Registration a list of the number of cultural grants offered byKuwaitUniversityfor brotherly and friendly states, provided that the applicant’s Secondary School percentage is no less than 75% for Science Major and 80% for Liberal Arts Major. The admitted applicant should register and study the first semester he/she is accepted in; otherwise, his/her admission will be canceled, unless the applicant, or the nominating party, submits an application to postpone admission to the following semester during the set period. Otherwise, the grant will be repealed for the nominating party or State, in which case it may not nominate another applicant for the grant in the following semester, unless it applies to withdraw the application of the applicant within the first six weeks of study.