Private university In the year 1964, the idea of establishing a private university in the city of
Jeddah was originally put forward by Mohammed Ali Hafiz. In the same year, a preparatory committee of 6 members was formed, including Mohamed Ali Hafiz and Muhammad Abu Bakr Bakhashab. Shortly after, then-Crown Prince
Faisal officially approved the idea. In 1965, the university's executive committee was formed. In 1966, the KAU held a competition to design their logo. The winning design was submitted by Abdul-Halim Radwi, a local artist from Jeddah. In the year 1967, King Abdulaziz University was officially established as a private university, with goals to spread higher education in the western region of
Saudi Arabia. Prior to this date, there were no higher-education institutions in Jeddah. These goals were met through efforts of high-ranking businessmen and notable Saudi figures; and additionally with the help of King Faisal's encouragement and financial support. The university started its first academic year in 1968, with a relatively small number of students (68 male - 30 female). In 1969, the first faculty was established (Faculty of Economics and Administration). In 1970, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities was established. The university was named after
King Abdulaziz, founder of Saudi Arabia.
Public university (1974-present) In 1974, the
Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia decided to merge the university with the government; converting it to a public university. , it had almost 31,000 students, of which 28% are international. The building's construction was designed by
Bangladeshi-American architect
Fazlur Rahman Khan. In 2018, it was ranked the 1st Arab university by
Times Higher Education due to very strong citation impact and highly international outlook. It also ranked no. 1 in percentage of total publications with international collaboration, according to
US News rankings. == Research programs ==