Saudi Arabia: New Riyadh University of Arts to open in 2026 to "meet growing demand of cultural sector"

Saudi Arabia is opening the Riyadh University of Arts, which "aspires to become a benchmark for cultural education in the kingdom, offering a range of courses that enable students to contribute to the growth of creative industries and stimulate the growth of the kingdom's cultural sector", announces Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Minister of Culture, on 15/09/2025.

The new institution will open its doors in 2026 on the Irqah campus in Riyadh and will gradually roll out its programmes to cover all cultural sub-sectors: Starting with three initial departments (music, cinema, and theatre and performing arts), followed by various departments to expand to thirteen, including architecture and design, culinary arts, visual arts, heritage studies, literature, cultural management, arts management and fashion.

The courses offered will include short courses, Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral degrees, and the students will be able to access scholarships. The institution aims to train between 25,000 and 30,000 graduates by 2040 and prepare 1,000 to 1,500 teachers to support…