King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) employs English as its medium of instruction. Therefore, the main role of the university’s Preparatory English Program (PEP) is to ensure students have the necessary level of English proficiency to succeed in this learning environment.

The PEP is an intensive General English, four-course program which runs throughout the academic year. The PEP’s academic year is divided into four 7.5-week modules (2 per semester), with an additional module during the summer period (optional for both teachers and students). In all courses, students receive an average of three lecture hours of English instruction per day with additional ‘lab’ hours, bringing the total to 18-20 hours per week. Each course seeks to develop students’ abilities in all four language skills.

PEP courses are aligned on a continuum with progressively graded objectives and learning outcomes. The skills developed in one level provide the foundation for success at the next level. Lower levels (ENGL01, ENGL02) focus on developing students’ general English abilities, while ENGL03 and ENGL04 focus on more advanced language skills and practice of integrated skills. In ENGL04, students also prepare for the institutional Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination.

Students progressing from the program are equipped with a solid foundation in English that ensures their ability to study in English as they proceed on to their major course(s) of study. In order to begin freshman studies, it is necessary for all students to either successfully complete the PEP, or to bypass the PEP by providing proof of attainment of a sufficiently high score in an internationally recognized external examination (such as TOEFL iBT or IELTS). Alternatively, students can also bypass the program by performing sufficiently well in the PEP’s Level Placement Test before going on to achieve a score of 530 or above in the PEP’s institutional TOEFL examination.

*The PEP does not issue degree certificates or any form of standalone qualification.