University of New Haven receives approval for first US branch campus in Saudi Arabia

The private Connecticut university has received accreditation approval to launch a campus in Riyadh this autumn, with plans to offer business and digital innovation degrees before expanding into engineering and applied sciences

The University of New Haven has received U.S accreditation approval to open what it says will be the first American international branch campus in Saudi Arabia.

The private university said it had secured approval from the New England Commission of Higher Education, clearing the way for the planned opening of its Riyadh campus in the autumn.

The institution said the Saudi campus would begin offering degree programmes in autumn 2026 through a College of Business and Digital Innovation.

It said it later planned to expand into a College of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and a College of Arts and Applied Sciences.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees are due to be offered alongside executive education and micro-credentials, which the university said would support lifelong learning.

The Riyadh campus is eventually to serve more than 10,000 students.

In a statement, University of New Haven president Jens Frederiksen said: “This is another significant milestone in our historic undertaking to establish an international branch campus in Riyadh.

“From the beginning of this process, it has been clear that there is a significant demand in Riyadh for American-style higher education. Our Riyadh campus will feature the same enrollment-driven model in place in Connecticut, offering our immersive educational experiences and market-driven programs in a region with a large and growing population of college-aged individuals who are seeking higher education opportunities.”

Founded in 1920, the University of New Haven is a private university based in West Haven, Connecticut. In addition to its main campus, it also has a campus in Tuscany, Italy.

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_{Main image: President Frederiksen and Saudi leaders sign an MOU at the Human Capability Initiative in April 2025 creating a pathway for the University to become the first in the world to open an international branch campus in Riyadh. Credit: University of New Haven}