King Khalid University is a public university in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1998, the university came to being through the merger of the satellite campuses of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University into one entity. It is named after King Khalid bin Abdulalziz, the ruler of Saudi Arabia from 1975 until 1982.

History

King Khalid University was established in 1998 under Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's order to merge Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University in the southern region. The university operates under the Ministry of Education. The university is located in Asir, Saudi Arabia. The university commenced operations with four colleges: , there are 29 colleges encompassing many disciplines such as engineering, computer science, and medicine. , King Khalid University serves approximately 60,000 students. King Khalid University was recently ranked fourth in overall performance among universities in Saudi Arabia. In a 2024 ranking by QS World University Rankings, King Khalid University was internationally ranked 761. As part of the strategic plan, the university objective is to increase its ranking to the top 200 by 2030.

2012 student protests and change of university presidency

On 7 March 2012, during the 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests, women students of the university protested against "injustice and inequality" and "discrimination and mistreatment" by university security staff. The students were attacked by security forces and on 10 March held a sit-in calling for the rector Abdullah al-Rashid to resign. On 1 July 2012, Rashid was fired by King Abdullah and replaced by Abdulrahman al-Dawood.

Organisational structure

Leadership

Presidency

Abdullah al-Rashid was the elected or appointed president of King Khalid University until 1 July 2012, during the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests, when he was replaced by Abdulrahman al-Dawood following massive student protests in May and calls for his resignation. , Faleh al-Solami was the president of the university.

Colleges and departments

Sharia and Fundamentals of Religion College Computer Science College Education College Humanities College Engineering College College of Business Science College Languages and Translation College Medicine College Dentistry college Pharmacy College Applied Medical Sciences College

Research Centers

Associations

Location

Since its inception, the goal was to have King Khalid University operate at a single central location. This was impractical at the outset due to the size of the project and the massive infrastructure requirements. Initially, the university occupied buildings in many different locations. In 2011–12, the university completed construction of the Guraiger Campus in Abha. This has served and continues to serve as the main campus for all educational and administration. A female campus was built in al-Samar in Abha. There are still a few satellite campuses that can operate with a great deal of independence. However, the goal of a single fully integrated facility remains and is in progress. , a standalone campus for King Khalid University was under construction in al-Fara and the female campus is shifted to Guraiger campus in Abha. This new campus is commonly known as University City. As part of the medical college, plans were made to build a public hospital which would have one of the largest bed capacities in the Middle East. Because of the scope of the construction project, there were many international bidders for the contract. The university, in cooperation with the King Abdullah Institute for Research and Studies and King Saud University, organized a global competitive bidding program for the design, planning, and construction of University City. As one of the most prominent higher education infrastructure projects in the Kingdom, the competition attracted 28 regional, national, and international bidders. To qualify for the bidding process, each company had to prove its capabilities in large scale construction. The infrastructure at University City is substantial. There are two major service buildings that provide electromechanical components and utilities to all the other buildings on the campus. The two service buildings are connected by a service tunnel that is 17 km in length. Construction of University City is being done in seven phases over a period of years, which are: The construction project is under the auspices of the University Vice Presidency of Projects. Day-to-day supervision is provided by a variety of consultants, sub-contractors, and engineers representing various private firms from across the globe. King Khalid University Rector, Falleh al-Solamy, took an active leadership role in overseeing the development of the project. In addition, Governor of the Asir region, Turki bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, "took keen interest" in University City. The construction project was considered to be a major asset and investment in the southern region.