The Saudi students are not from an elite class. They had huge abroad scholarship programs open to every high school graduate that includes full tuition, travel,

The Saudi students are not from an elite class. They had huge abroad scholarship programs open to every high school graduate that includes full tuition, travel, and living expense. Every year grade cutoffs are announced and applicants are awarded scholarships. Most Saudis in US universities are actually low to middle class students who graduated highschool with good grades. This is one of the strongest forces of social mobility I have seen in any country. In terms of liberalization, Saudis who studied abroad are the leaders of the liberal movements within the country. They don't transform into liberal Americans, but they do shift into liberal Saudis. Liberal Saudis are still on average more conservative than their American classmates, but back home they create the shift we are seeing today in a progressive direction. Both effects are intended by the government. The social mobility aspect is part of the Saudi welfare state, and it adds great economic value through knowledge transfer. The liberalization is part of a long campaign to loosen the grip of religious leaders on the community and consolidate power. Source: I went to university abroad on the King Abdullah scholarship program.