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Nursing

4 years + internship
You study
Nursing fundamentals, Medical nursing
Jobs
Nurse, Intensive care nurse
Average for the health field · Age 25–29
10,500SAR

Average monthly pay in the health field for Saudi bachelor’s holders, GASTAT Labour Force Survey 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3; many earn less. Pay in a first job is usually lower.

Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses: leaning to growth (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH); Employment and Social Development Canada, June 2025 · Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 – Muharram 1447 AH)1,2. They are not a forecast for the Saudi market, nor by DataPulse.

Where is Nursing taught?

Taught at 43 universities: 26 government and 17 private.

Riyadh

Makkah

Madinah

Qassim

Eastern Province

Asir

Tabuk

Hail

Northern Borders

Jazan

Najran

Al-Baha

Al-Jouf

From university pages, admission guides and the Ministry’s Study in Saudi platform4. Gender is tagged where the university publishes it per programme.

Compare with…

A side-by-side view, not a judgement that one major is better. Figures are for the broad field, so two majors in one field share the same figures. Figures: bachelor’s, both sexes, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)35

NursingPublic healthPharmacy
Field in the survey
Health and welfareHealth and welfareHealth and welfare
Length of study
4 years + internship4 years5–6 years + internship
Taught at
43 universities10 universities30 universities
Men
OfferedOfferedOffered
Women
OfferedOfferedOffered
Holders of the field working
93.5%93.5%93.5%
Unemployment in the field
6.5%6.5%6.5%
Average wage in the field (SAR)
12,43712,43712,437
An occupation of its graduates and generative AI
—not exposed—

Availability for men and women from university pages and the Ministry’s programmes platform; last checked 24 October 2026 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).

What do Nursing students learn?

Caring for patients, monitoring their condition, and supporting doctors in hospitals.

  • Nursing fundamentals
  • Medical nursing
  • Child nursing
  • Emergency nursing

In Arabic: التمريض

How many years is Nursing?

4 years, then an internship year (training after the degree). The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.

What jobs do Nursing graduates do?

Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:

  • Nurse
  • Intensive care nurse
  • Community health nurse
  • Nursing supervisor

Mostly hospital shifts, with nights and long hours on your feet.

  • Shifts and nights often
  • Sometimes outside the city
  • High physical effort

Professional classification and registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.

What do Nursing graduates earn?

GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Health and welfare” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.

Age 25–2910,500 SAR
Age 35–4414,700 SAR

What is unemployment in the health field?

Unemployment among Saudi graduates of the field (bachelor’s, all ages)3:

  • 20211442–1443 AH8.2%
  • 20221443–1444 AH8.0%
  • 20231444–1445 AH7.5%
  • 20241445–1446 AH6.5%

For the whole field, not this major alone. Past measurement, not a forecast.

Official decisions and signals

  • The job “Nurse” is little affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)6
  • A goal of the Health Sector Transformation Program is to provide enough doctors, nurses and health practitioners (no number given). October 2021 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1443 AH) (announced target)7

Related majors

All majors in Medicine and health sciences · Labour-market figures for all fields
Not sure what to choose?Start with what you like · 3 minutes

References

  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Registered nurses” (BLS 29-1141), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
  2. Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses” (COPS 31301), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
  3. General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Health and welfare”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
  4. Programme pages on university websites, last checked 26 October 2026 (15 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
  5. International Labour Organization, global index of occupational exposure to generative AI, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
  6. International Labour Organization · occupation code 2221, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
  7. Health Sector Transformation Program, 5 October 2021 (28 Safar 1443 AH).