Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University

The education of women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has received a great deal of attention, and this has allowed Saudi women to make definite strides towards achieving their ambitions and unveiling their uniqueness in different fields.

The Saudi woman has emerged at the local level at the international level as well. We see examples of Saudi women in culture and specialized research, examples who are respected and acknowledged in international arenas and the various fields of science, proving their success and worthiness that rivals their peers in other advanced countries.

PNU is one of the outcomes of the attention given to the higher education of women. This attention started early, when the General Presidency for the Education of Girls established the first college for women in 1390 AH, corresponding to 1970 C.E. The inauguration of more colleges followed, reaching 102, ranging from university colleges to intermediary colleges and community colleges. These were distributed over 72 Saudi cities and included 600,000 students.

In Riyadh alone, there are six colleges, namely the College of Education for Liberal Arts Disciplines, the College of Education for Scientific Disciplines, the College of Education for the Development of Teachers, the College of Social Services, the College of Home Economics, and the College of Fine Arts.

In 1427 AH, a royal order was issued to establish the first University for women in Riyadh, under the Ministry of Higher Education's supervision. This included the six colleges located in Riyadh and several new colleges established for women's education and development in the Kingdom.

The University was inaugurated in 1428 AH with its first rector, H.H. Dr. Al-Jawhara bint Fahd Al-Saud.

PNU, therefore, aspires to become a beacon for science, knowledge, and values. We made it our mission at PNU to become a leading institution in the field of higher education for women, keeping abreast with global developments in the fields of science and technology to develop the education of women in Saudi Arabia, thus enabling Saudi females to effectively participate in social and economic development to achieve a better future for our nation.

PNU realizes that it has a sacred task to fulfill. Therefore it continuously strives to achieve excellence and make a difference in the higher education of women. For this purpose, PNU implements the best strategies to integrate the values of education and research with the sense of civic participation and social responsibility, to offer strategic development plans for our academic programs, to implement knowledge and educational partnerships with distinctive higher education institutes throughout the world, and to hold conferences, seminars, and scientific and cultural events that guarantee the development of human resources, providing our students with advanced skills that enable them to face the challenges of the era and to contribute to the establishment of a bright and safe future.

PNU offers diversely rich graduate and postgraduate programs through its 15 colleges functioning in different specializations, in addition to the Preparatory and Foundation Year programs, the Arabic Language Institute for non-Arabic Speakers, and a university hospital where students of the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, and other Health Colleges receive their training. The University also includes an extensive central library, several supporting deanships, and research and service centers that aim to support the academic and educational goals of PNU. All this is offered in an attractive environment-friendly setting amidst an atmosphere that is engineered and technically prepared to accommodate the students' academic and psychological needs.

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University has a rich scientific and cognitive heritage where its history extends to the beginning of the establishment of women's colleges forty years ago. Since its inception, the University gave great attention to its vision, mission, and objectives in bringing positive change in society and transforming it into a scientific and knowledgeable community, and contributing to comprehensive development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The University has endeavored to achieve an outstanding rank among universities in the world and to adopt effective policies to support researchers in addition to promoting a distinguished research culture by:

• Funding research projects
• Supporting new researchers and future pioneers
• Authoring and translating books
• Publishing scientific works
• Establishing research centers in colleges
• Setting the foundation for establishing a women's health research center will serve as a center of excellence for scholars locally and globally.