Student Information

Authentication process

Upon receiving your admission documents from your program/university, please email clear PDF copies of the following: [email protected] to review and process your authentication request:

• Copy of your Passport
• Copy of your Visa
• Copy of your Civil ID (both sides)
• Copy of your High School Transcripts 9-12 grades (If you have a PAAET Certificate/Degree please include this as well)
• Copy of your high school equivalency certificate if you attended a private high school or a high school outside of Kuwait. Sample
• Copy of your admission letter
• Statement from the Public Institution for social security from Kuwait confirming that the student is not a current employee in Kuwait and does not receive any sort of salary.

Once all documents are received, we will review, process & finalize your authentication request.

ADMISSION TO AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE (ESL) AND/OR ACADEMIC PROGRAM

Kindly note that you will only be eligible for an authentication if you are attending an approved program and school. You can verify you are attending an approved program by checking our university listings as indicated below:

Approved English language programs (ESL) can be found Here

Approved universities can be found Here

General Information:

Please remember to thoroughly check your I-20, admission letter, and all other documents included in the admission package that you receive from your ESL program/university for the following information: program start dates, placement exam dates, mandatory orientation dates, health waiver deadlines, immunization record requirements, and other program/university requirements and deadlines. Students are responsible for completing waivers and document submissions by the deadlines set by the university.

To register with our office as a Private Unsupervised student you must be enrolled as a full-time student at an approved program. If attending Community College, you are not allowed to take online courses. Online community college courses are not approved by the Ministry of Higher Education nor our office. You can verify you are attending an approved program by checking our university listings website Here

Students should register with our office upon their arrival to the United States in order to receive health insurance and initiate their social allowance (200KD) through the Ministry of Higher Education. To process your registration request, kindly ensure that you:

• Send us scanned PDF copies of the required registration documents directly to [email protected].
• Submit your registration documents only after you have arrived in the United States, do not send your documents while you are still in Kuwait.
• Send all your documents together in one (1) email and in PDF format. Kindly ensure that your documents are clear and legible.

1. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION

   
   
   • Completed Registration Checklist Form (No Bank info required)
   • Copy of passport صوره من جواز السفر الكويتى
   • Copy of F-1 visa صوره من الفيزا
   • Copy of page #1 of I-20 نسخه من
   • Copy of I-94 (arrival/departure record) نسخه من تأشيرة الدخول – Retrieve I-94
   • Copy of Verification of Enrollment نسخة من إثبات التسجيل
   • Copy of Civil ID (Both sides) نسخة من البطاقة المدنية
   • Completed and signed Authorization to Represent and Release Information form
   • Statement from the Public Institution for social security from Kuwait confirming that the student is not a current employee in Kuwait and does not receive any sort of salary

   *You will be notified via email if further documentation is required.

2. NOTE ON ONLINE COURSES

   Online Community College courses are no longer approved. Students cannot take Online Courses at the Community College level. Online Community College courses are no longer approved. Students cannot take Online Courses at the Community College level.

   Do not take more than 4 online courses at the University Level. Students cannot exceed 4 online courses (12 credits) total for the duration of their studies (this includes private and scholarship study period).

3. HEALTH INSURANCE REGISTRATION

   Eligible Students attending approved programs are provided health insurance by the Kuwait Embassy Health Office located in Washington D.C upon their arrival in the US. You should “waive” out of your university’s student health insurance plan, as you are already covered through Cigna, provided by the Kuwait Embassy Health Office. Please fill out the waiver at your university’s health office and let them know that you already have your own health insurance through the Kuwait Cultural Office. If you do not do this, you will have to pay for the school’s health insurance out of your own money. If you need help waiving your health insurance, you can either email your advisor or contact the Health office directly.

   
   

   HEALTH OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION:

   Only the Kuwait Embassy Health Office may discuss the details of your health insurance with you. Please contact them directly for assistance with any questions you may have:

   Kuwait Embassy Health Office
   4301 Connecticut Ave., NW #330
   Washington, D.C. 20008
   Tel: (202) 686-4304
   Fax: (202) 733-1157
   Email: [email protected]
   

4. SOCIAL ALLOWANCE (200KD)

   Students attending approved English Language and academic Programs are eligible for a 200 KD Social Allowance administered by the Ministry of Higher Education.

   To initiate your social allowance, you must create an account through the Ministry of Higher Education’s Al- Dayrah system. Please follow this link: Al-Dayrah-Social Allowance. Once you have created your account you will be able to upload the required documents.

   Please remember to register with our office once you arrive to the United States, and submit an official verification of enrollment, to complete your social allowance request. Without an official verification of enrollment, our office will unfortunately be unable to process your social allowance request.

5. HOW TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL ALLOWANCE:

   To keep your 200 KD allowance active you MUST submit an official transcript and Verification of Enrollment Form EVERY FALL/WINTER (if applicable) and SPRING term. Your social allowance account on Al-Dayrah will not be updated if you do not submit official transcripts, which will result in the suspension of your social allowance.

   Please have your official transcript mailed or emailed to our office directly by your school. Transcripts Hand-delivered, mailed by a student, or issued to students are not considered official and will not be accepted by our office.

   Our Mailing Address:
   Kuwait Cultural Office, Los Angeles

   Att: Private Unsupervised Department
   801 S. Figueroa St, Suite 1900
   Los Angeles, CA 90017
   

   The Cultural Office only accepts signed and stamped verification of enrollment forms as confirmation of class schedules. The VOE form must be signed and stamped by the university/college registrar. Please ensure you submit a clear PDF copy of your verification of enrollment Screenshots of class schedules will NOT be accepted.

   Kindly note, the 200 KD social allowance is released through the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait. If you have questions you can reach the allowance department at: [email protected]

1. MOHE Rules & Regulations

   Private student who are currently attending a community college or a university per Article 10 of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) regulations, are eligible to apply for Kuwait government scholarship once they meet the following eligibility standards:

   
   
   • Must be a Kuwaiti Citizen.
   • Must be currently enrolled full-time in A MOHE approved university and major.
     
     
     • Click Here to see approved scholarship majors.
     • Click Here to verify your university is approved.
   • Must have earned a minimum of 27 academic semester credits or 42 quarter credits from a MOHE approved US university.
     
     
     • Or student must have transferred 27 semester credits or 42 quarter credits - earned in MOHE approved US college - towards their degree requirement.
   • Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50.
   • Must Have full academic admission into an approved major Click Here and approved university Click Here (Conditional admission is not approved)
   • Student’s High school track must match scholarship major. (Art/science)
   • Must not have been previously granted a MOHE scholarship that ended in dismissal or withdrawal (in accordance with MOHE regulations Article 2, First Section, Item #7 and #8)
   • Must submit a signed Promissory note to repeat any excess unapproved courses through traditional classroom attendance at an approved university.
   • PAAET Diploma Holders in addition to the above criteria:
     
     
     • Must not exceed 30 years of age.
     • Must continue their studies in the same field he or she completed in their diploma.
2. Required documents

   Please note that you must submit all required documents below in PDF format for our office to be able to review your application. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The following documents can be scanned and emailed to [email protected]

   
   
   1. Academic History Form Please fill out this form by yourself
   2. Scholarship application Data Sheet– Please fill out this form by yourself
   3. Copy of your High School Transcript (if you have attended a private high school, please also provide a copy of your high school equivalency certificate, Sample
   4. Copy of your high school equivalency certificate if you attended a private high school or a high school outside of Kuwait. Sample
   5. Transfer Evaluation Form If you have transferred credits from your previous school(s), please have your academic advisor at your current university fill out and sign the form.
   6. Study Plan Form – The Study Plan must be completed and signed by the four-year university where you plan to complete your bachelor’s degree.
   7. Verification of Enrollment– The VOE form will need to be filled out and signed by the academic advisor at your college/university, for the term you are applying for scholarship.
   8. Copy of your updated I-20
   9. Copy of passport
   10. Copy of I-94
   11. Copy of civil ID (both sides)
   12. Copy of birth certificate
   13. Online Course Audit Request Form - Please have your academic advisor at ALL the colleges/universities you have attended in the U.S. to fill out this form, sign and email it to us. If you haven’t taken any courses, the form should indicate “student has not taken any online course”.
   14. Official transcript from ALL the colleges/universities you have attended before. The official transcript must be mailed or emailed to our office directly from the school(s). The mailing address is:

       Kuwait Cultural Office
       ATT: Private Unsupervised Department
       801 S. Figueroa Street, 19th floor
       Los Angeles, CA 90017
       

   15. *If you have PAAET, please provide PAAET Degree/Certificate. Your scholarship major must be the same as your PAAET major.
   16. Certificate from the Public Authority for Social Security in the State of Kuwait confirming that you are not a current employee or receiving any salary.
   17. A completed and signed Authorization to Represent and Release Information form Authorization to Represent and Release Information form
3. APPLICATION SUBMISSION

   Applications to join MOHE Scholarship must be submitted via email by 11:59 PM on:
   

   
   
   • September 30 (FALL Applicants)
   • February 28 (SPRING Applicants)
   • Summer is excluded.
     
     
     • Must be filled out completely.
     • Must be typed or neatly printed.

4. SELECTION

   Applications that are received by the deadline will be reviewed by the Kuwait Cultural Office, Los Angeles’s Academic Committee.

   Scholarship requests can only be presented to the Academic Committee when ALL required completed documents are received.

   If all requirements are met, the application will be submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait for review and final decision.

   Final decision and awards will be made by the Ministry of Higher Education. Students will be notified via email if awarded a scholarship.

Below are the steps you must take after you meet your program graduation’ requirements and receive your final degree.

1. Create your authentication request through MOHE’s Dayrah website:
   
   
   • You must upload all required documents in their system and make sure it is assigned to the Los Angeles Office.
   • You or a family member must visit floor M3 of the Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education to sign a release form in order for our office to receive and process your request.
   • Please keep in mind you are eligible for authentication Only if your university and major are approved by our Cultural Office. You can check here: University Search
2. Have the following documents mailed to our office:
   
   
   • Official sealed transcripts from all institutions attended which counted towards your degree program. Must be mailed or emailed directly from the school to our office.
   • Online course verification audit from each university/college attended which indicates the courses and credits taken online (Click here). Must be mailed/emailed directly from a school to our office.
3. Send the following documents to [email protected]:
   
   
   • Unofficial High School transcripts
   • Include in your message that you are initiating a degree authentication request.