Article 51 of the Saudi Law of Universities

This article opens the door for Saudi universities to expand outside the Kingdom by establishing branches abroad.

The article contains the following elements:

• Permission: the text says "may", so it is not mandatory.
• The deciding body: the Council of Ministers, by its decision.
• The proposal: from the Board of Trustees of the university concerned.
• The endorsement: from the Universities Affairs Council.

The path starts with the university itself through its Board of Trustees, then needs the endorsement of the Universities Affairs Council, and ends with the decision of the Council of Ministers.

The Board of Trustees, according to Article 1, is the authority competent over the governance of the university and oversight of its performance, and the Universities Affairs Council is the authority competent to regulate university affairs and set their policies.

The article does not set out the conditions for establishing overseas branches, the rules that govern their work in the country in which they are established, or their administrative and financial relationship with the parent university. These are matters that should not be assumed from the text.

This article is linked to Article 50, which permits the university to charge financial consideration to develop its own revenues, such as fees for postgraduate studies, diplomas and non-Saudi students, and payment for research and consultancy for internal or external bodies. Article 52 then brings a general provision on employees, providing that the connection of all university employees, including faculty members, administrative staff and technicians, with the university is under the Labor Law.

Anyone concerned with an overseas branch of a Saudi university may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases.