How the war affects international university campuses

Following the American-Israeli attack on Iran, and at the time of writing this piece, there has been no shift toward remote learning in Saudi Arabian schools and universities – unlike at those of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – and the country continues collectively to promote the image of a safe place where life goes on as normal in every respect.

However, mixed announcements reflect the increasing instability of the Gulf region. Following the official launch in September 2025, a royal order was issued on the evening of 14 March establishing the Riyadh University of Arts (RUA), a one-of-a-kind university, overseen by the Ministry of Culture, which will be the first nominally comprehensive university dedicated to arts and culture in the Middle East and North Africa region.

On the very same evening, the Formula One Grand Prix races scheduled for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off amid concerns over rising tensions in the Gulf, despite Saudi Arabia’s insistence that it was prepared to host the event.

With the conflict developing more widely and unpredictably, the process of opening foreign university campuses in Saudi Arabia faces new challenges, and there are also fears of inevitable repercussions for branch campuses already operating in the Gulf countries.

How are universities responding?

A few days before the start of the conflict, the University Affairs Leadership Team of Arizona State University (ASU) – one of the five universities that were awarded a foreign investor licence by the Saudi Ministry of Investment in 2024 – told University World News that there was “nothing new to report” with regard to plans for the opening of a branch campus in Riyadh, “but discussions are ongoing – if a bit infrequent”.

The University of Strathclyde – also included in the ‘list of five’ – is evidently experiencing difficulties in implementing the Saudi cabinet decision of 21 October 2025, which gave the green light to the opening of a branch campus in Riyadh, given that in early March, answering a media inquiry from University World News, the university’s corporate communications manager wrote: “We don’t have further updates at this stage to share with you regarding our Saudi activities”, which basically confirmed the university’s official position in January 2025 (“We don’t think this is something we can participate in at present”).

Similarly, the University of New Haven has clearly encountered bumps in the road since the surprising and unexpected decision of the Saudi cabinet on 7 October 2025 to approve the establishment of the first foreign university campus on Saudi soil, namely the University of New Haven Riyadh campus.

In effect, the Riyadh campus of the University of New Haven was not included in the original ‘list of five’ and had been pending approval by the New England Commission of Higher Education until quite recently.

According to a recent article, in January the university had to cancel its pre-university programme for future Saudi students – tuition fees are SAR56,256 +VAT (US$15,000 +VAT), payable in advance – because of a “lack of demand”.

Moreover, the university had neither signed a lease in Riyadh as yet, nor announced a roster of professors. However, on 19 March 2026, the University of New Haven updated its future Riyadh campus website, stating that “classes will begin in August 2026”.

So how will the University of New Haven market its programmes and seek enrolments from Saudi and foreign students? Or will it have to rethink its expansion plans in Saudi Arabia?

Either way, Saudi Arabia continues to send students abroad.

According to the Saudi budget for 2026, more than 1,080 Saudi students received scholarships in 2025 to study at the top 30 universities around the world, a mere trickle when compared to the record numbers of Saudis that studied abroad between 2005 and 2015 under the umbrella of the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (KASP).

And the latest facts and figures on Saudi students currently enrolled at US universities confirm the steady downward trend.

A new entrant

October 2025 saw a new competitor entering the race to open a branch campus in Saudi Arabia. On 14 October 2025, in London, Almasar Alshamil Education, the Gulf region’s leading provider of private higher education, signed a non-binding Heads of Terms agreement with Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University for the establishment of a branch campus on Saudi soil, subject to definitive agreements and regulatory approvals.

Under the agreed terms, Almasar Alshamil Education will serve as the financial and strategic partner for the project, while Heriot-Watt University will provide academic and institutional leadership.

Media questions about the agreement from University World News were forwarded by the Edinburgh headquarters of Heriot-Watt University to its Dubai campus, which, in the meantime, has switched to remote learning, out of safety concerns.

Administrative staff duties are to continue remotely, but, as the campus will remain closed until the beginning of April, the press and public relations team are not responding to enquiries. It remains unclear whether this is a ‘no comment’ or simply a case of dysfunctional remote working.

New challenges

The National Strategy for Data & AI launched in 2020 by the Saudi Data & Al Authority (SDAIA) has set goals that include the ranking of Saudi Arabia among the top 15 countries in AI, transforming the workforce (+20K data & AI specialists and experts) and expanding the R&D sector (with the aim of being ranked among the top 20 countries in terms of scientific contribution) by 2030.

Universities (both public and private) will have a central role to play in achieving these goals. Saudi Arabian higher education policies must respond effectively and efficiently to the
current polycrisis, in all its different aspects (economic, environmental, geopolitical, social and technological).

The coming challenges will also be about numbers, with “an estimated 2.2 million seats in higher education in 2024 and an additional demand of over at least 300,000 new seats expected by 2030”.

With a new crisis now unfolding (war), it is reasonable to expect that the process of opening foreign campuses in Saudi Arabia will be slowed down even further. Nonetheless, the process should go forward, as foreign universities could add value to the Saudi higher education landscape.

Moreover, the education of Saudi youth is more vital than ever, if the country is to become an important player in the global order.

Discussions are revolving currently around upcoming events in Saudi Arabia, with organisers questioning attendance and scheduling: if events are held, will international participants and spectators still come?

A similar question could hang over foreign universities: will they implement their plans to invest in establishing a Saudi branch, and, if so, will Saudi and international students enrol?

Dr Annalisa Pavan is an independent researcher on Saudi Arabia. Her main research focus is Saudi Arabian higher education policies, with a specific interest in Saudi government-funded scholarship programmes for studying abroad.

Her most recent publications also focus on the development of the Saudi cultural and heritage tourism industry and the
ongoing social and cultural changes.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.