The University of New Haven (UNH), a Chairman’s Circle member of the U.S.-Saudi Business Council, has announced its signing of a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education, Ministry of Investment, and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to launch a Riyadh campus of the University in time for the start of 2026’s Fall semester. The campus, which is the first foreign (and U.S.) university to open an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia, aims to serve 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students when fully operational, supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 economic and social transformation goals.
UNH-Riyadh will offer students a range of educational offerings, including internationally-accredited multi-year degrees, one-week professional development courses that equip students for their local job market, and micro-credentials for executives in emerging fields like AI & Machine Learning, Business Management & Finance, Event Security, Leadership for Women, and more. This collaboration will include developing relationships with businesses and industries that enhance academic offerings and create internship opportunities and job placement paths for students. Students will also have access to scholarship sponsors and practical training courses designed to meet Saudi Arabia’s workforce development objectives.
UNH-Riyadh campus will include a College of Business and Digital Innovation, a College of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, and a College of Arts and Applied Sciences. In addition, students in Riyadh will have the same access to UNH’s resources and main campus in West Haven that all students enrolled at UNH currently enjoy.
The MOU, signed at the second annual Human Capability Initiative gathering in Riyadh, follows a strong history of decades of educational engagement by UNH in the Kingdom. The University previously offered private education to Saudi families, educated hundreds of Saudi students on their main campus in Connecticut, and created and managed a modern undergraduate program for King Fahd Security College, one of the Kingdom’s most revered government institutions.
Representatives from University of New Haven sign an MOU with Saudi authorities at the Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh. Source: University of New Haven.
Commenting on the milestone this MOU represents, UNH President Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D. said “The University of New Haven is proud to have been an active supporter of higher education in Saudi Arabia for over twenty years, both within the Kingdom and on our Connecticut campus. Our focus on preparing a dynamic global workforce makes Saudi Arabia a natural partner. The Kingdom’s Human Capability Development Program sets out a very clear agenda. Its pillars of higher education and lifelong learning align closely with our vision of becoming a global powerhouse for preparing the next generation of elite talent to excel in the workforce of the future. We are pleased to have achieved such an important milestone – and to have received so much support – in our efforts to open a campus in Saudi Arabia. We are excited to help create bright futures for generations of deserving students.”
For more information on UNH-Riyadh, visit their website.
