The University of New Haven is the first university with approval to establish an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia.
This approval comes after the announcement of the university’s intentions to do so at the Human Capability Initiative, a conference that attracts global leaders and experts.
“This is a historic day for the University of New Haven,” said university President Jens Frederiksen. “The University has been an active supporter of higher education in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years, both within the Kingdom and on our Connecticut campus, and we are excited to advance this work by establishing a campus in Riyadh that supports the Kingdom’s transformative Vision 2030 goals.”
Vision 2030 is a strategic blueprint created by Saudi Arabia in an effort to diversify its economy away from oil, develop a more vibrant society and create a more ambitious nation. The kingdom says it is privatizing government services while preparing workers for new economic sectors, and its government has claimed decreasing unemployment and increasing participation by women in the workforce as part of its efforts to reach this goal
The university boasts over 25 years of support for the kingdom, tracing its support back to 1990 when the university provided over 40 degrees in Riyadh as part of a private education to the royal family. Despite this connection to the royal family, Fredriksen doesn’t believe this was a factor in the approval.
The branch will feature three colleges: College of Business and Digital Innovation, College of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and College of Arts and Applied Sciences. The branch will serve both graduate and undergraduate students, with enrollment expected to reach 13,000, surpassing the number of students currently enrolled on the university’s main campus at 9,229. It is expected to be in operations starting Fall 2026.
The university’s constant support for the kingdom is a move that does not come without resistance.
Partnerships with the nation have often caused controversy in light of the kingdom’s human rights record, which includes mass executions and public beheadings.
As part of its partnership with the kingdom, in 2016 the university signed an agreement with King Fahd Security College to create a bachelor’s degree in security studies with specialization tracks in homeland security, intelligence studies and criminal justice.
In 2018, the university faced pressure to terminate its partnership with the kingdom following the assassination of Washington Post Journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate in Turkey- approved by the crown prince himself.
The university refused to back down from the partnership, using its support of the King Fahd Security College as proof of their support of the Kingdom on the university’s branch website for Riyadh. “We modernized the King Fahd Security College from a training center to an accredited military college. We developed and directed the undergraduate program.”
Despite its location, the university’s branch in Saudi Arabia will only teach classes in English, but will offer a “Preparatory Year Program and an English as a Second Language (ESL) course.”
The university’s website says it will provide an “executive education” and “micro-credentials to support lifelong learning” including in areas such as “Leadership for Women” and “AI & Machine Learning.”
The branch campus will have coed students and faculty, and no restrictions are expected in terms of academic freedom.
Despite the approval from Saudi Arabia, not all approvals needed to go forward with this plan have been received. The university will now need approval from its accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education.
