The term "discharge" in these regulations refers to discharge for study purposes, which corresponds to "scholarship" in the Civil Service Law.

The General Administration for Planning and Development in the Council, hereinafter referred to as (the competent administration), is responsible for the following in these regulations:-
A. Formulating the general policy for the release of judges domestically and their scholarship abroad, and submitting it to the Council for approval.
B. Determining the specializations and fields for which releases are granted, and submitting them to the Council.
C. Receiving requests for release, studying them, and submitting them to the Council for approval.
D. Proposing durations for release.
E. Monitoring reports issued regarding the performance of students from educational institutions.

The council has the authority to grant judges leave for study either within the Kingdom or abroad in the fields it deems necessary.

The discharge shall be for obtaining one of the following academic degrees: (diploma, master's, doctorate).

The following conditions must be met for the discharge:
1- The age of the applicant for discharge must not exceed forty-five years.
2- The specialization for which the discharge is requested must align with the specified fields for discharge.
3- The candidate must have spent at least three years in the Judiciary from the date of commencing work in the Court.
4- The candidate must obtain acceptance from a specialized institute or an accredited university.
5- The candidate's competency rating must not be less than (above average) in their last report.
6- The candidate must achieve a score of (400) in the TOEFL exam or its equivalent in other languages, in cases where studying requires it.

• 1- The selection among applicants will be conducted based on the total scores as follows:

  • A. Seniority in the judicial system, with each year counted as two points.

  • B. The score of the last performance evaluation, calculated as follows: (five points for an outstanding rating, and four points for an above-average rating).

  • C. The overall grade in the last certificate obtained, calculated as follows: (four points for an excellent grade, and two points for a very good grade).

  • D. Scientific research in the field of specialization, with each peer-reviewed research counted as follows: (three points for a PhD, two points for a Master's degree, and one point for each peer-reviewed research).

• 2- In the event of a tie, the one with greater seniority in the judicial system will be given preference; if they are still equal, a draw will be conducted among them.

The individual granted study leave must:
1- Attend to their studies diligently and complete them within the timeframe specified in the leave decision.
2- Coordinate with the educational institution they are assigned to in order to submit periodic reports on their academic performance, and send these reports to the relevant authority in the Council.
3- Return to the Kingdom within a maximum of one month from the date of completion of their study leave.
4- Resume their work within fifteen days of their arrival.
5- Notify the relevant administration if they wish to withdraw, postpone, or discontinue their studies for any reason.

• A. The individual released for study may not change their specialization or the educational institution except after obtaining the Council's approval according to the following:

  • 1- This must be done well in advance to allow for the study of the matter, making the appropriate decision, and notifying the relevant administration.

  • 2- There must be valid reasons for changing the specialization or the educational institution, supported by the opinion of the educational institution to which they were sent, and the opinion of the relevant administration.

  • 3- Obtaining acceptance from the educational institution or in the new specialization they wish to study, provided that it is one of the specializations included in the plan of the relevant administration approved by the Council, or deemed appropriate by the Council.

  • 4- There must be no negligence or shortcoming on the part of the individual released in their studies.

  • 5- The change must not result in extending the release period beyond what was stipulated in the release decision, except after a decision from the Council approving such an extension.

• B. In all cases, changing the specialization or the educational institution during the release period is only permitted once.

The Council may approve the continuation of the seconded individual in their studies to obtain a higher qualification according to the following conditions:-
A. There must be a need for that degree in the entity where the seconded individual works, provided that it is included in the plan of the relevant administration, or the Council deems it appropriate.
B. The individual must complete their original studies with distinction within the period specified in the secondment decision.
C. The individual must obtain acceptance into the new academic degree.