Saudis Again Head to U.S. Campuses

Saudi students began coming to the United States in large numbers in the late 1970s. After 1981, their numbers gradually declined, in part because higher education facilities were built in the kingdom but also because their government put less stress on getting international experience.

Then the 2001 terrorist attacks sent bilateral relations into a downward spiral and for a few months afterward no Saudis were given student visas, with only "a trickle" granted in 2002, Almazyed said.

According to the Institute of International Education, the number of Saudi students dropped 25.2 percent in the 2002-03 academic year, and by the 2004-05 term, only 3,035 Saudis enrolled -- a level not seen since the mid-'70s.

"For Saudi students to have a full, clear understanding of America, of its culture and of its educational system, they have to come and interact with Americans," said Almazyed, who received his doctorate in education from the University of Oregon in 1975.

One State Department official said that after Sept. 11, "the bottom fell out in applications [for student visas] around the world, because there was a strong feeling not to apply because you wouldn't stand a chance."

U.S. officials are trying to dispel that perception, he added. "Apply. You'll have a fair shot" is how he characterized the message they now aim to convey.

In addition, visa processing around the world was slowed by several requirements imposed after Sept. 11, according to another State Department official. Those included in-person interviews and fingerprinting for most applicants, and a review by law enforcement authorities of some visa requests.

Also, a 2002 law directed at Saudi Arabia mandated the presence in that country of visa security officers from the Department of Homeland Security, whose job is to screen all visa requests and, if necessary, relay them to Washington for more intense checking.

During the height of delays in 2002 and 2003, some Saudi applicants waited six to 12 months for a visa if their documents had to be sent to Washington for added review, the State Department official said.

At present, the average wait for an interview is 98 days; once that occurs, "it takes about a week to get the visa," the official said. Now, he added, "the biggest challenge for us in Saudi Arabia for student visas is the demand. There are more Saudi students applying for visas than ever before."

According to State Department figures, 9,471 Saudis were given student visas in the year ending Sept. 30, a 297 percent increase over the 2,383 issued the year before.

Dalal Ali Al Kandil, who is working toward a master's degree in instructional technology at George Mason University, said she was "shocked when they said you have to make an appointment [for an interview] four months prior to traveling. Saudis were never treated that way. I understand security and everything. But it hurts me a little bit."

Still, this country remained her first choice for study abroad because it "is known for its very good education," said Kandil, a teacher and one of the 1,653 female scholarship recipients in the United States.

"I never felt I would be in any kind of trouble or danger" in the United States, said Kandil, who arrived two months ago and lives in Fairfax.

And, she added, "the best thing about America, no one looks at you like you're so stupid. . . . You can ask the dumbest question, and they'll answer you with a smile."

Fahad Al Dhelaan, 20, a junior at George Washington University studying computer science, said the scholarship program aimed "to send this generation of students outside to get . . . another perspective back into the country in a few years. I think it will work, I think it will work fabulous."