King Saud University

The Opening of the University

The inauguration ceremonies were sponsored by HRH King Saud bin Abdulaziz who issued the following statement:

In the Name of God, most Merciful, and most Gracious. On Wednesday the fourteenth of Rabie Al Thani 1377 Hijri corresponding to November 6, 1957 G. We opened the first university in our Kingdom. We ask God's blessings upon this endeavor. We offer our prayers that education will flourish, peace, security, and welfare will prevail in our Kingdom and in the Arabic and Islamic countries. We ask God to guide us and offer us success in all good deeds. We dedicate our work in God's name proclaiming Him Sovereign and Just.

Saud Al Saud

Development of the University

The first College of the University was the College of Arts which began operation with the academic year 1377 / 1378 Hijri, corresponding to 1957 / 1958. There were twenty-one students eighteen of whom were Saudi Nationals. The College of Science occupied part of the building and then there were divisions of science and medicine studies for female students at Al Malaz Quarter. Dr. Abdulwahab Bin Mohammed Azam was appointed as the first Rector of the university.

In the year 1378/1379 H 1958/1959 G the College of science was established. It had ten students as a starting group of freshmen. That same year the College of Arts began to admit part-time students. During this academic year, Mr. Nasir Al Mangoor, Director General of the Ministry of Education was appointed Deputy Rector of the University after the sudden death of Dr. Abdulwahab Azam.

In the beginning of the academic year 1385 / 1386 corresponding 1965 / 1966 G, the College of Agriculture was opened in a large palace in the Olaisha area. The College of Administrative Science was transferred to the same building. The number of students in the College of Agriculture in the first year to was 58 students, 45 of whom were Saudi nationals.

The Objectives of the University

A Royal Decree dated 28/1/1392 stipulated that the King Saud University is a public scientific and cultural institution that aims at:

1 - Providing instruction in Islamic studies, arts and sciences, and specialized fields;

2 - Training teachers;

3 - Promoting the acquiring of knowledge through encouraging scientific research;

4 - Developing the right university spirit among students;

5 - Promoting sports, social, artistic, and cultural life for students;

6 - Organizing students' leisure time so as to be useful to them and the country; and

7 - Offering a comfortable environment for students inside and outside the university conducive for their personal and professional growth.

To cope with the rapid development and expansion of higher education in the Kingdom, the Higher Education and University Council in the year 1414 Hijri (1994) determined that since the university is a scientific and cultural institution working under the provisions of Islamic Shari 'a, the university must seek to achieve the following objectives:

1 - To emphasize the students' devotion to Almighty God, and hence provide the best Islamic education. The aim is that they will employ all their energy in fruitful and useful work.

2 - To prepare citizens qualified to do their duties in serving their country to lead it to progress in light of the ideals of Islamic principles.

3 - To provide opportunities for the gifted to stand out in their education in all fields.

4 - To play a positive role in research which concentrate on the development of the world in the field of arts and science.

5 - To find solutions for the technological obstacles faced by society.

6 - To encourage authorship of books which will serve the science and enable the Kingdom to play a leading role in building the human civilization on the ideals of Islamic tolerance and guide the human race along the right path and save human kind from any material or unethical tendency.

7 - To encourage translation of the sciences and all useful knowledge to Arabic, the language of the Holy Koran so that the largest number of citizens can gain the benefits of these books.

8 - To provide training services for working students to develop themselves.

The university has and continues to contribute, with the other institutions of higher educations in the Kingdom, to the achievement of the socio-economic goals of the development plans of the country.