King Saud University
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. It was known as Riyadh University from 1964 until it was reverted to its inceptive name in 1982. It was converted into an independent non-profit academic institution in 2023.
جامعة الملك سعود | |
Former names | Riyadh University (1964–1982) |
|---|---|
| Motto | ريادة وتميز |
Motto in English | Leadership and Excellence |
| Type | Public university |
| Established | 6 November 1957 |
| Founder | Saud bin Abdulaziz |
| Endowment | US$2.7 billion (2013) |
| President | Dr. Abdullah S. Al-Salman |
Administrative staff | 4,952 |
| Students | 61,412 (2022) |
| Location | Riyadh , Saudi Arabia 24.722°N 46.627°E |
| Campus | Urban, 2,224 acres (900 ha) |
| Language | English, Arabic |
| Website | ksu |
The student body of KSU today consists of 40,000 male and female students, 7% of which are international. The female students have their own disciplinary panel, 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. The university offers courses in the natural sciences, the humanities, and professional studies, and many courses are tuition-free. 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.