The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on Sunday dismissed reports that Saudi Arabia had suspended scholarships to four Jordanian universities, calling the move temporary.
An official source at the ministry said the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research had put on hold "for a specific period of time" scholarships granted to Saudi students under its scholarship system due to "overcrowding and an increase in the number of students on scholarships, well above the levels allowed under the programme." "The suspension applies only to Saudi students who obtained a scholarship under the ministry's programme, but not to those who study in the four universities privately or at the expense of any other programmes," said Assistant cultural attaché at the Saudi embassy in Amman, Rashed al Nabet.
The Saudi ministry had temporarily halted scholarships to 46 international universities, including 21 in the United States, under the scholarship system in an attempt to redirect students towards certain disciplines to cater to the domestic labour market needs.