Faiza Al-Kharafi was born to a wealthy family in Kuwait in 1946 and developed an interest in science from a young age. She attended Al Merkab High School. She received her BSc from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1967. She then attended Kuwait University where she founded the Corrosion and Electrochemistry Research Laboratory while in graduate school. She received her master's in 1972 and her PhD in 1975.