History of King Saud University

The university initially offered courses in arts, followed by science, business and pharmacy in 1960.

The university was converted into an independent non-profit academic institution in 2023 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

112 of 1961 recognized that: King Saud University is an independent legal character, with a budget of its own, responsible for higher education, promoting scholarly research, and advancement of sciences and arts in the country.

Naming the Minister of Education as the president of the university, the Statute ordered that the university have a vice president and secretary general, and that each college and institute have a dean, vice dean, and a council.

Of the main landmarks of the new Statute is the creation of the Higher Council of the university as one of its administrative powers.

The membership of the new council includes two active or inactive university presidents, two faculty members who had assumed such positions outside the country, or two native leading intellectuals.

Again, the Statute dictates the creation of an Academic Council overlooking scholarly research and studies.

These decrees were issued in response to the growing and widening needs of the university as the establishment of new colleges started.

At this time deanships of Admission and Registration, Students Affairs, Libraries were also established.

In 1980, another branch of the university opened at Qassim with three colleges: Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, and Economics and Administration.

In 1993, the Royal ratification of the System of the Council of Higher Education and Universities was issued dictating that each university form its own Council which attends to its academic, administrative, and financial affairs, and carries out its general policy.