From vision to venture: capitalising on Saudi Arabia’s education transformation

KSA recently opened the doors to foreign educational institutions to allow them to begin establishing campuses and facilities in the kingdom, following the long success of similar opportunities in neighbouring Gulf states.

Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University has signed an agreement to open a campus in Riyadh, pending regulatory approval, while the University of New Haven and the University of Strathclyde have both been given the go-ahead for the first university branch campuses in KSA by 2026.

In the schools’ sector, Sherborne School from the UK opened its doors in Jeddah KSA in August 2025, whilst Riyadh has recently welcomed Beech Hall School, Aldenham Prep, Kings College, Reigate Grammar and Buckswood to the Kingdom.

For Saudi Arabia, it represents an opportunity to continue diversifying the country while for international educational centres, the chance to get an early foothold in the Kingdom and establish a presence there as the country continues its economic transformation.

The reforms

Saudi Arabia passed new executive rules in late 2023 which allowed foreign university branches to be established in the kingdom as independent campuses.

These campuses are licenced for five years, with licences renewed based on meeting standards of quality and compliance, including financial solvency, certified facilities and alignment with the country’s educational goals.

Under the licences, though, the universities can manage their own internal structures for the KSA campuses, with lessons in the university’s native language rather than Arabic.

Schools are also a key priority for the Kingdom’s Ministry of Education, with incentives being offered by the Royal Commission of Riyadh City to attract k-12 education providers to the Kingdom and, specifically, the capital. Investors can obtain access to Ministry of Education assets such as land and buildings at competitive prices, reducing their capital expenditure and making the Kingdom a key part of expansion plans for education providers globally.

The higher education institutions

Since the new rules were introduced, seven universities have announced plans for, or started to develop, a presence in the Kingdom – with Heriot-Watt’s agreement to open in Riyadh the most recent move by a major institution into the country.

Heriot-Watt already operates campuses in the UAE and Malaysia, and joins fellow Scottish university Strathclyde in eyeing Saudi Arabia for its next expansion.

Ireland’s Royal College of Surgeons, Spain’s IE University and Australia’s University of Wollongong have all agreed to open campuses in KSA, with the US’ Arizona State and New Haven universities due to follow – with the latter looking to be up and running in time for the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

The Connecticut-based university, which also operates a campus in Italy, was the first to get the go-ahead and will offer colleges covering business and digital innovation, engineering and the arts, with both undergraduate and graduate degrees being taught.

The Saudi view

Opening up the education sector to foreign institutions comes as the country continues to drive forward with the Vision 2030 strategy.

Under the plan, which looks to diversity the country’s workforce and economy away from oil, the Kingdom is looking to attract SAR 50 billion in education investment by 2030 and increase private sector participation in the education space to 25% in the same time period - with new regulations passed to encourage private investment in schools and university infrastructure.

Raising the profile of education in the country is a key part of that. Earlier this year the Times Higher Education world academic summit was held in the Middle East for the first time, at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

With many of the proposed new campuses offering the opportunity for students to work from other international locations, the influx of institutions also promotes international student enrollment, both for Saudi students and those looking to study in the country.

Investors benefit from full foreign ownership rights, streamlined licensing processes, and access to Ministry of Education infrastructure at competitive rates. The Kingdom’s growing demand for quality education - especially international curricula - combined with low setup costs and a young, expanding population, creates a fertile ground for sustainable growth. With over 70,000 new school seats needed and a push for 1,200 new private schools by 2030, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a regional hub for world-class education, offering unmatched opportunities for those ready to innovate and invest.

On the higher education side, Saudi Arabia will need to add approximately 800,000 to 900,000 new higher education seats by 2030, bringing the total capacity to around 2.8 million university places. This expansion is driven by a rapidly growing youth population, economic diversification targets, and a strategic shift toward specialised fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, sustainable energy and advanced manufacturing.

The future

With the doors opened to entry to the KSA, international education institutions have a major opportunity to expand in the region and establish themselves early.

But it also opens up significant challenges for universities  and schools which are looking to establish themselves, with a need for expert insight and advice in understanding and aligning with the local regulatory and institutional requirements. The regulatory landscape is complex and there is a need to ensure curriculum alignment with national standards, and compliance with infrastructure and staffing requirements as well as alignment to the home standards for the institutions. However, the education sector in KSA is now benefiting from streamlined processes and tailored investment frameworks to ease entry into the market.

Having spent a significant proportion of my career in academic leadership inside various KSA education institutions, I have seen the unprecedented transformation of education in the Kingdom firsthand driven by bold policy, strategic investment, and a clear national vision.

Across the whole education sector in the Kingdom, incentives across public and private sectors are creating fertile ground for innovation, partnerships, and long-term impact. The opportunity is extraordinary, not just to build institutions, but to shape the future of the next generation of learning across the region. The time is now, and those who are stepping forward are really defining a new global standard in education.