Director: Daniel C. Levy

 

New Saudi Private University

 

PROPHE Summary

A new private university is being established in Saudi Arabia's capital. Dar Al-Uloom Private University has official approval to be launched. It has ties to public institutions. Along with 4 main campuses there are 2 peripheral ones, one for males and one for females.

PROPHE Observation

The establishment of Dar Al-Uloom represents another step in the spread of private universities in the Arab world. For the most part the Arab region is the last to join the global trend of private higher education but there has been notable action so far in this century. Unlike the prior situation in much of the world, the Arab private advance has come mostly from the top-down, by government directive. On the other hand, the field profile of Dar Al-Uloom echoes that often seen in private higher education, including business, IT, and computer studies. (Although the article also refers to new colleges at the Islamic University of Madinah, that appears to be a public institution, as are some other religious institutions in the Arab world.)