Merit Scholarship Majors for Science and Arts Students in Kuwait 2026-2027 and Admission Requirements
In This Blog:
Introduction
A simple guide for Kuwaiti students and parents covering Merit Scholarship majors for science and arts students in Australia, the UK and the US, the required percentage, aptitude testing, IELTS, final admission and official university and programme checks.
Merit Scholarship Majors for Science and Arts Students in Kuwait 2026 2027 and Admission Requirements
The Merit Scholarship Programme is not only for science-track students. An arts-track student can also apply after choosing a major that matches the certificate, obtaining final admission and confirming that the university or programme appears on the distinguished lists. The same rule applies to science students: the school percentage and university name are not enough on their own. This guide brings together key science and arts majors in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. It explains the steps in simple terms: the required percentage, whether the Kuwait academic aptitude test is needed, what final admission means, and where to check the university, major and degree before applying.
Who can apply for the Merit Scholarship Programme
Required percentages for science and arts students
A graduate of Kuwait's science or arts track can apply after meeting the general conditions and choosing a major accepted by the university and compatible with the school certificate. The general Ministry minimum is 90 percent and rises to 95 percent for medicine dentistry and pharmacy.
Basic conditions in simple terms
· You must be a Kuwaiti citizen and between 16 and 23 years old.
· You must hold a high-school certificate and must not already hold a bachelor's degree.
· You must not be employed by a government entity or hold the scholarship alongside another study grant.
· The certificate must be recent. The 2026 2027 guide covers 2024 2025 and 2025 2026 graduates who meet the other conditions.
· You need final academic admission certified by the Cultural Office for a university or programme on the distinguished and recommended lists.
When 90 or 95 percent is required
Ninety percent is the general Ministry minimum for other majors, whether or not the major appears in the Annual Scholarship Plan. Ninety-five percent is required only for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. A university may require a higher percentage, particular school subjects or an interview, so the Ministry percentage is a starting point rather than an admission guarantee.
Is the Kuwait academic aptitude test required
The Merit Scholarship guide does not list the Kuwait academic aptitude test as a general registration condition. A university may still have its own admission test, interview or portfolio requirement for art and design. Those are university requirements, not Kuwait's academic aptitude test.
Can a science student choose an arts major
Usually yes. A science student may apply for law, business, economics or media when the university accepts the certificate and the programme matches the official lists. An arts student should not assume that engineering, medicine or computing is available simply because the field appears on a distinguished list. These programmes normally require mathematics or specific science subjects.
Does 95 percent guarantee the scholarship
No. It meets the percentage rule for medical majors. University admission, English, certification and the Ministry decision still remain.
Can an arts student with 90 percent apply
Yes, after choosing a major accepted for the certificate and confirming the university, programme and degree on the official lists.
Science and arts majors by destination country
Options extend well beyond medicine engineering and business Official lists cover many fields, but every field contains different universities and degree levels. The following options show important areas students ask about. Always check the full programme title on the National Bureau platform before applying.
Australia
Australia's distinguished decision groups universities by field. Science options include Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical and Health, and Physical Sciences. Arts options include Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Education Studies, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences.
Popular science and health options include medicine and pharmacy under the 95 percent rule, oral health, dental technology, podiatry, physiotherapy, radiation therapy, medical imaging or diagnostic radiography, nursing, nutrition, cybersecurity, computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, physics, geology, architecture and engineering.
Arts and administrative options include law, psychology, education, social sciences, arts and humanities, business administration, accounting, marketing, economics and finance according to the programmes offered by each university. A university's inclusion under Business and Economics does not automatically approve every business programme. Check the programme and degree.
United Kingdom
Science fields on the official lists include medicine and health, pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, physiotherapy, biological sciences, veterinary medicine, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, computer science and engineering fields such as civil, electrical, mechanical, aerospace and manufacturing engineering.
Arts options are extensive. They include law, psychology, education, business and management, accounting and finance, economics, marketing, property management, hospitality and tourism, communication and media, politics, sociology, social policy, social work, anthropology, and geography and environmental science.
The lists also include archaeology, history, history of art architecture and design, philosophy, theology and religious studies, English, modern languages, linguistics, creative writing, Middle Eastern and African Studies, art and design, music, drama and cinema, and town planning and landscape design. Use the official programme title or code provided by the university because UK programme names can be similar.
United States
Science options extend beyond petroleum, chemical and agricultural engineering. The official list also includes aerospace, biomedical, civil, electrical electronic and communications, industrial and manufacturing engineering, computer science and data analytics, chemistry and physics, depending on the listed university and degree.
Arts and business options include accounting, business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, insurance, international business, management, management information systems, marketing, operations management, real estate, supply chain and logistics, education, fine arts, criminology, sociology, economics, history, political science, psychology, and library and information studies.
New decisions add specific programmes from time to time, including Media Culture and Communication, Philosophy Economics, Philosophy Politics and Law, and International Business. Always use the current search result rather than a saved list from an earlier year.
How to check the university and major
The university name alone is not enough Before paying a fee or accepting admission, check six points: country, university, campus, major, degree and decision notes. One mismatch can make the admission unsuitable for the scholarship.
Distinguished University or Distinguished Programme
The National Bureau platform may show Distinguished University or Distinguished Programme. A Distinguished University decision can cover defined fields or majors. A Distinguished Programme result applies to a particular programme at a particular university. Open the full details in both cases.
Steps to use the official search platform
· Open the National Bureau's recommended-university platform.
· Choose the destination country and bachelor's degree.
· Enter the English programme title shown on the university website or admission letter.
· Select Distinguished University or Distinguished Programme, then open the result and read the notes.
· Check the institution, campus and degree. A branch in another city is not automatically covered.
· If the major does not appear, check universities listed under All Majors and ask the Cultural Office to confirm.
· An X beside the degree means that the programme is no longer on the official lists.
Check the study mode
The normal requirement is traditional study with regular attendance. Do not assume that an online, evening, continuing-education or part-time programme is accepted because the university name appears. Obtain Cultural Office approval before enrolling or paying a non-refundable fee.
Read the admission letter carefully
Check the student's name, institution, campus, English programme title, Bachelor degree, start date, duration and admission status. For a double or combined major, do not assume that approval of one subject covers the full programme. Ask for confirmation using the complete title.
University admission tests and documents
What to prepare before uploading the scholarship application You need certified final academic admission, an IELTS or TOEFL result meeting the required score, and a valid high-school certificate with equivalency when it is foreign. The university may add an admission test or interview for a particular major.
Conditional and final admission
A Conditional Offer means that something is still outstanding, such as IELTS, final school results or a missing document. Final or Unconditional Admission means that the academic university conditions have been met. The Merit Scholarship guide requires final academic admission certified by the Cultural Office.
IELTS or TOEFL
The guide's minimum is IELTS Academic 5.5 overall and 5.5 in every skill, or TOEFL 47. If the university requires IELTS 6.0 or 6.5, the higher university score applies. A UK university may require IELTS Academic UKVI.
Do not use Duolingo or PTE as a scholarship substitute without written official approval. A university may accept one of them for its own admission process, while the Merit Scholarship guide names IELTS and TOEFL.
University test interview and portfolio
Do not confuse Kuwait's academic aptitude test with a university assessment. Medical programmes may require an interview or admission test. Art, design and architecture may require a portfolio. These university rules differ from one programme to another.
Science and arts certificate classification
Kuwait's unified high-school certificate is accepted in its science and arts tracks. An IGCSE, American, IB or other foreign certificate requires equivalency from the Private Education Department, and that document confirms the certificate classification.
· For an English certificate, the guide links science classification to meeting its specified science-subject condition through mathematics, physics, chemistry or biology.
· For an American certificate, science classification requires a sequence including biology, chemistry, physics, Algebra 2, and Pre Calculus or Calculus during regular terms.
· For the IB Diploma, science classification requires two sciences and one mathematics subject alongside the diploma, subject and Higher Level conditions.
Main documents
· Final high-school transcript showing continuous secondary-school years.
· Ministry of Education equivalency for a private or foreign certificate.
· Final academic admission certified by the Cultural Office.
· Student and guardian Civil IDs and the passport data page.
· An original approved IELTS or TOEFL result.
Registration starts through the Ministry of Higher Education electronic system after identity authentication through the Kuwait Mobile ID app. Upload every required document because an incomplete application may be excluded.
Does IELTS 5.5 guarantee university admission
No. It is the Ministry minimum, and the university may require a higher score.
Can I upload conditional admission
The guide requires certified final academic admission. Complete the condition and request the final letter before registration.
When is certificate equivalency needed
Prepare it before applying when the certificate is private or foreign because it confirms validity and science or arts classification.
Allowances Merit status and the next step
The allowance depends on the country rather than the major alone There is no separate monthly salary for every major. The base allowance depends on the destination country, a financial benefit applies to Merit students, and book equipment or clinical allowances may depend on the type of study and Cultural Office rules.
The Merit Scholarship financial benefit
The Kuwait Cultural Office in the United States states that a Merit student receives the same allowances as a Conventional Scholarship student plus a monthly award equal to 50 percent of the normal monthly allowance. Its public page does not provide a clear current dollar amount, so confirm the figure when opening the financial file.
In the UK, the Cultural Office publishes a normal monthly allowance of GBP 2,850 and GBP 4,275 for a student at a distinguished university after the 50 percent addition. These figures may change through a later financial decision.
Allowances linked to the type of study
The London office publishes a total science-related allowance of GBP 2,470 for equipment, books and clothing, plus a GBP 750 clinical allowance for eligible cases. An arts student does not automatically receive a science allowance, and a health student does not automatically receive the clinical allowance. Cultural Office eligibility rules apply.
When allowance payment begins
Payment begins after the financial file is opened and the Cultural Office documents are complete. In Australia and New Zealand, new students provide a passport, arrival evidence such as a boarding pass or entry stamp, an official local bank document, the Student Information Form, the visa and VEVO evidence. A ticket booking alone is not proof of arrival.
How to keep Merit status
Monitor the study load, GPA and graduation plan. Published US rules state that a student may move from Merit to Conventional Scholarship if the cumulative GPA falls below 2.00, the student takes less than a full-time load, transfers to a non-merit university or major, or exceeds the original scholarship period. Do not change the university or major without Ministry and Cultural Office approval.
Does a medicine student receive a higher monthly salary than a law student
Official sources do not set a different monthly salary for every major. Differences come from the country, Merit benefit and eligible study-related allowances.
Can I change my major after the scholarship begins
Prior approval is required. A move to a non-merit major may change the student to Conventional Scholarship status.
What Acceptix does
We begin with the student's percentage, certificate type, preferred major and destination. We review the university, programme and degree against the official lists, prepare the university application, and follow the English, interview and document requirements until final admission.
The scholarship decision belongs to Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Education and cannot be issued or guaranteed by an admission service. To start, prepare the school certificate, transcript and passport, choose the major and destination, and apply early before university seats fill.
