King Saud University

Not to be confused with King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.

King Saud University
جامعة الملك سعود
Former names
Riyadh University (1964–1982)
Motto
ريادة وتميز
Motto in English
Leadership and Excellence
TypePublic university
Established6 November 1957; 66 years ago (6 November 1957)
FounderSaud bin Abdulaziz
EndowmentUS$2.7 billion (2013)[1]
PresidentDr. Abdullah S. Al-Salman
Administrative staff
4,952
Students61,412 (2022)[2]
Location
Riyadh
,
Saudi Arabia

24°43′19″N 46°37′37″E / 24.722°N 46.627°E / 24.722; 46.627
CampusUrban, 2,224 acres (900 ha)
LanguageEnglish, Arabic
Websiteksu.edu.sa/en/

King Saud University (KSU, Arabic: جامعة الملك سعود, romanized: Jāmiʿa al-Malik Saʿūd) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulalziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in Saudi Arabia.[3] It was known as Riyadh University from 1964 until it was reverted to its inceptive name in 1982.[4] It was converted into an independent non-profit academic institution in 2023.[5]

The student body of KSU today consists of 40,000 male and female students, 7% of which are international.[6] The female students have their own disciplinary panel,[7] and there is a center supervising the progress of female students, either personally by female faculty members or by male faculty members via a closed television network.[8] The university offers courses in the natural sciences, the humanities, and professional studies, and many courses are tuition-free.[9] The medium of instruction in undergraduate programs is English and Arabic depending on the chosen major. Among Arab universities, its medical programs are highly regarded.

  1. ^ "50 Richest Universities in the World: University Endowment Rankings". Nonprofit Colleges Online. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  2. ^ "King Saud University [Acceptance Rate + Statistics]". 21 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Top Universities". Top Universities. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Saudi Arabia - EDUCATION". Countrystudies.us. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  5. ^ Staff Writer; Gazette, Saudi. "King Saud University transforms into independent non-profit academic institution". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  6. ^ "King Saud University". Timeshighereducation.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  7. ^ "King Saud University >Committees > About center KSU -". Archived from the original on 7 September 2013.
  8. ^ "King Saud University > Home > About center KSU -". Archived from the original on 30 December 2011.
  9. ^ "King Saud University". Topuniversities.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.