Life

KAUST is more than just a world-class research university.  It is also the vibrant home to an international community of students, faculty and staff, researchers, and families.

The KAUST community is situated in a unique Red Sea coastal location near the fishing village of Thuwal, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Jeddah – Saudi Arabia’s second largest city.  The total area of the self-contained community spans more than 36 million square meters, including a unique coral reef ecosystem that the University will preserve as a marine sanctuary.

The campus community will be culturally diverse,  and operated with sensitivity to preserving the environment and conserving scarce resources in keeping with the region’s climate.

Surrounding the University, KAUST’s seaside community will offer:

• three distinct residential districts with housing options ranging from apartments to single family homes
• a number of shopping and leisure opportunities
• health and recreational services
• several schooling options

The community’s design facilitates access to the Red Sea and encourages active, healthy living and group interaction, connecting the campus and residential districts via a network of more than 70 parks and green spaces.

KAUST also provides a number of efficient, convenient, and accessible alternative transportation options for residents and guests, including electric car sharing, and golf carts, as well as proximal access to amenities for those residents who choose to walk or ride bicycles.  Shuttles will run regularly throughout the campus and community, and will offer transportation to nearby cities in Saudi Arabia.

As KAUST provides a healthy and supportive environment to aid scientific inquiry and discovery, so too will an international, multicultural spirit be nurtured in the surrounding community.