By Joseph George
Saudi Arabia’s higher education sector continues to evolve, with many international universities trying to make an entry. By 2030, the sector is set to accommodate around 2.82 million seats, with 150,000 in private institutions and 2.7 million in public ones
As Saudi Arabia progresses toward its Vision 2030 goals aimed at enhancing its human capital, creating a job-ready workforce and transitioning from an oil-based to a knowledge-based economy, the emphasis is on effectively transforming its education system, particularly the higher education sector.
The ongoing reforms aim to align higher education with global standards, attract more private participation and bring about necessary changes in the curriculum, including the incorporation of technologies such as AI and robotics, all aimed at fostering innovation.
The government has massively invested in ushering new reforms into the education sector with record budget allocations over the past few years. Saudi Arabia leads the GCC in government spending on education. In the 2023 budget, SAR189 billion was allocated to education, with 42% of it dedicated to Higher Education and Technical and Vocational Training in 2023. The allocation increased to SAR191 billion in 2024.
The higher education scene in the Kingdom is predominantly reliant on the public sector. Based on Colliers’ estimates, almost 2 million students registered in 2022 in Saudi Arabia, out of which only 5% enrolled in the private sector while the remaining 95% (1.9 million) students joined public and semi-public institutions.
