University of New Haven gains US accreditor approval for Riyadh branch campus

The University of New Haven said on April 7, 2026, that the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) had approved its plan to establish an international branch campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The decision means the Riyadh campus will operate under the same accreditation that covers the university's programs in the United States.

The campus is scheduled to open in fall 2026, with classes beginning in August. It will start with a College of Business and Digital Innovation, and the university plans to add a College of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and a College of Arts and Applied Sciences later. Planned offerings include undergraduate and graduate degrees, executive education and micro-credentials. The university has said it envisions the Riyadh campus eventually serving more than 10,000 students, without giving a date for reaching that figure.

The University of New Haven has its main campus in West Haven, Connecticut. It describes the Riyadh project as the first international branch campus of a United States university in Saudi Arabia and links it to the economic diversification and workforce development goals of the kingdom's Vision 2030 program. With the approval, degrees awarded in Riyadh will carry the same institutional accreditation as those awarded in Connecticut.