College Preparatory Center
Saudi Arabia's College Preparatory Center (CPC) is a highly selective program run by the Saudi national oil company; Saudi Aramco. It begins with three trimesters of study at the Industrial Training Center in Dhahran. Then students move on to universities around the globe to finish their education, after which they will be hired by the company as full-time employees.
With its campus in Dhahran North, this institute prepares the students in different fields; engineering, earth sciences, to business and management. The admission rate among the applicants who met the requirements this year (2004-2005) is 1.85%, 148 admitted from a pool of 8000 qualified applicants.
In addition to the international standrized tests orientation, intensive english language, and college-level science courses, CPC also offers all standrized tests; AP, TOEFL, SAT I, SAT II, and IELTS for its students free of charge. Students also revieve a salary of about $8000 for their attendance, each student is assigned in a Saudi ARAMCO department which is related to his concentration of study, and their job is guaranteed.
All students - after passing the first year in CPC - will have a full scholarship, mostly to the most competitive universities in the United States and United Kingdom, all expenses covered. Moreover, each Exploration Department scholar will have the opportunity to continue graduate studies with the salary of a Full Time Employee and covering the expenses of his family wherever he studies.
After graduating and becoming a full-time active employee, a CPC graduate will be promoted as if he was working the period in which he was studying, and so will his salary be determined.