Higher Education Boost: University of Strathclyde to Open in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, approved on Tuesday the establishment of a branch for the University of Strathclyde in Riyadh, in a major boost for higher education in the Kingdom.
The University of Strathclyde in Riyadh is the second foreign university to get the Cabinet’s approval after the University of New Haven, which will open a branch campus in Saudi Arabia’s capital city in 2026.
University of Strathclyde
The world-renowned University of Strathclyde is a prestigious technological research institution founded in 1796 in Glasgow. It is one of the UK’s pioneering universities in business and engineering.
The university is home to over 30,000 students from more than 140 countries, with academic offerings structured across four main Faculties: Engineering, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Strathclyde Business School.
Moreover, it has received recognition for its world-class excellence, securing the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education four times (1996, 2019, 2021, and 2023).
Additionally, the University of Strathclyde won the Times Higher Education UK University of the Year award twice (2012 and 2019).
It also received the Daily Mail University of the Year Awards 2026 and Scottish University of the Year by The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.
Attracting Foreign Universities
In addition to the University of Strathclyde, four high-ranking international universities have obtained foreign investor licenses to set up branches in Saudi Arabia and will offer bachelor’s and masters’ programs in areas of key priority under Vision 2030.
These universities are: the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), the University of Wollongong, IE University, and Arizona State University.
Higher Education in Saudi Arabia
Higher education is a main catalyst in advancing Saudi Vision 2030 as it qualifies graduates for the labor market requirements which have shifted under the ongoing transformation.
To this end, the Kingdom has embarked on several initiatives and programs to foster the higher education sector, creating a favorable environment for leading international educational institutions to boost the quality of education and attract investments.
These efforts have yielded positive outcomes. Since 2024, the Saudi Education Ministry has issued 199 foreign investment licenses to international education institutions, including two international universities set to open their branches in the Kingdom.