Posted on: 13th July 2026

Planning for International School and University Fees in Saudi Arabia

If you ask most expat families in Saudi Arabia about their biggest expense after housing, they will usually say it’s their children’s education.

Even though it costs a lot, education is often the expense that families plan for the least.

It’s important to do the maths. Sending a child to an international school in Saudi Arabia and then to a university abroad can easily cost more than a million riyals per child.

The good news is that education costs are some of the easiest to plan for because you usually know when each bill is coming, sometimes years ahead. This predictability makes planning much easier.

Two horizons, two very different problems

The main thing to remember is that planning for education means dealing with two separate challenges, not just one.

School fees are a cash flow problem

School fees are large, regular, and due now—this term and every term until your child finishes school. The main task is to budget and plan so the money is always ready, without upsetting your other finances.

University fees are an investment problem

University fees are a big, mostly fixed amount that you know will be due in the future. Since you have several years to prepare, you can use that time to save and invest, so you don’t have to come up with the full amount all at once when your child turns eighteen.

If you mix the two, like trying to save for university from the same monthly budget you use for school fees, both goals can suffer. But if you handle them separately, each one becomes much more manageable.

What it actually costs

To help you plan, here are some realistic cost ranges for the 2025/26 academic year. Use these as a starting point and always check the latest fee schedules, as schools and universities update them every year.

International schools in the Kingdom

In Riyadh, annual tuition ranges from about SAR 25,000 at budget schools to SAR 150,000 or more at top British, American, and IB schools. Secondary and exam years are usually at the higher end of these ranges. But tuition is just one part of the cost.

You should also budget for one-time registration and enrolment fees, which often range from SAR 5,000 to 15,000 or more. External exam fees for IGCSE, IB, or A-levels can add SAR 8,000 to 25,000 or more per exam session and are rarely included in tuition.

Don’t forget any learning or English-language support your child may need, as well as everyday extras like uniforms, transport, and lunches.

It’s helpful to know that while tuition is usually zero-rated for VAT, extra services like transport and meals are typically subject to the standard 15% VAT.

Universities abroad

Costs increase significantly at this stage. In the UK, international undergraduate tuition usually ranges from about £15,000 to £38,000 a year, with medicine and a few other subjects costing more.

Living costs add another £12,000 to £18,000 per year. Altogether, you can expect to pay about £27,000 to £55,000 a year, or roughly SAR 130,000 to 260,000.

A three-year UK degree can cost between SAR 400,000 and SAR 800,000. In the United States, total annual costs for international students usually range from $32,000 to $60,000, and a four-year bachelor’s degree often totals $100,000 to $300,000.

One important thing to remember is that international students usually cannot access government student loans in the host country.

Unlike local families, you cannot rely on the UK or US loan systems. This means you need to cover the costs yourself, which is why saving in advance is so important.

Why education inflation deserves special attention

If you plan to use today’s fees, you’ll fall short because education costs usually rise faster than the cost of living.

School fees are reviewed every year, and overseas tuition has also been rising. For example, US university tuition rose by about 3-4% in the most recent year.

Over the years, the gap between education inflation and general inflation adds a significant amount to the final bill. A good plan includes expected fee increases rather than relying on today’s numbers.

Building a plan by time horizon

Since these two challenges have different time frames, they need different approaches.

For school fees, focus on stability and cash flow. Know how your school’s fees change by year group, keep a buffer so a fee increase or currency change doesn’t catch you off guard, and if your employer offers an education allowance, make sure you know exactly what it covers.

For university, time is your greatest asset. Money you won’t need for ten or fifteen years can be invested for growth, so compounding, not just your monthly savings, does much of the work.

As the date gets closer and the amount becomes something you can’t afford to lose, your plan should gradually shift toward more stable, lower-risk investments so the money is ready when the first tuition bill arrives.

Structures worth considering

There is no single right option, and the best choice depends on your timeline, your risk tolerance, and where you expect your children to study.

In general, families use a range of options, from dedicated education or savings plans that pay out at set future dates to more flexible, diversified investment portfolios that can be used as needed.

Each option involves trade-offs between structure, flexibility, cost, and growth potential. This is where tailored advice is valuable, rather than just choosing the most heavily marketed product.

Don't ignore the currency dimension

Here’s a challenge specific to life in the Kingdom. You earn in riyals, but your children may study in pounds, dollars, or euros. Because the riyal is pegged to the US dollar, your real exposure is to those other currencies.

If you save in riyals and convert at the last minute, a single change in the exchange rate can undo years of careful saving.

When possible, it makes sense to save in the currency your children are most likely to need. If you are planning for a UK university, saving in sterling removes a layer of risk. Use our currency exchange calculator for the latest rates and to help your money go further.

The mistakes that cost families the most

When saving for your child’s education, a few common mistakes can cause the biggest problems:

1. Starting too late and missing out on the compounding years that make university affordable.

2. Paying everything from monthly income instead of separating the school-fees budget from a university investment plan.

3. Ignoring currency risk until the fees are due.

4. Forgetting about extras like registration, exam fees, and annual fee increases.

A rough guide by your child's age

• Ages 0–5: This is the best time to start a university plan. Even small contributions have over a decade to grow, and small amounts now can do more than large amounts later.

• Ages 6–11: Set up a clear routine for paying school fees and keep the university savings invested for growth. Review your plan each year as fees rise.

• Ages 12–16: Decide on likely destinations and courses so you can estimate the real costs and start thinking about how and when to make the university savings more secure.

• Ages 17+: Move the university funds toward more stable options and plan the practical steps, such as how you’ll transfer money abroad efficiently once fees are due.

When your circumstances change

Expat life rarely goes as planned. Moving out of Saudi Arabia, changing employers, or a shift in income can all affect your education plan. That’s why flexibility matters and why you should review your plan whenever your situation changes, instead of leaving it on autopilot.

If you are planning to leave Saudi Arabia, education funding should be part of your overall financial exit planning.

Be prepared: start early

Families who find education affordable are often the ones who started early, planned for school and university costs separately, and included both fee inflation and currency risk from the start. Time is the one advantage you can’t buy back later, so the best time to put a plan in place is well before the first invoice arrives.

If you’d like help estimating your children’s education costs and building a plan to meet them, our advisers in Riyadh work with expat families across the Kingdom to do just that, from managing school-fee cash flow to investing for a degree that’s still years away.

Thinking ahead to school or university fees? Book a planning session with our team and turn a daunting cost into a manageable plan.