OVERVIEW
This case study documents work performed by ProcessBay’s founder within a Kingdom-level education authority in Saudi Arabia — specifically, the design and delivery of the regulatory process and application framework for international university branch campus establishment in the Kingdom.
The engagement addressed a critical gap in the Kingdom’s higher education infrastructure: while there was strong strategic intent to attract world-class international universities to Saudi Arabia, no structured process existed for how these institutions would apply, be evaluated, and receive approval to establish branch campuses. The work required simultaneously defining the regulatory logic, designing the end-to-end application process, and developing the detailed application form that institutions would use.
The resulting process was adopted as the authority’s official procedure and has been in active use since late 2023. Since implementation, the framework has facilitated the issuance of 199 foreign education investment licenses, foreign investor licenses for five international universities, and the first cabinet-level approvals for international university branch campuses in the Kingdom.
Service Type
Strategy & Advisory
Key impact
The Context & Challenge
A Kingdom-Level Higher Education Ambition
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 placed higher education transformation at the center of the Kingdom’s diversification agenda. A core pillar was internationalization — attracting globally ranked universities to establish physical branch campuses, expand world-class programs, and build research capacity and knowledge transfer inside the Kingdom.
Core insight
The problem wasn’t ambition or political will — it was the absence of a structured application architecture.
Authorities needed a repeatable, non-negotiable structure for evaluating, approving, and governing international branch campuses — so credibility could become a property of the system, not discretion.
What changed
- Internationalization push
- The Kingdom shifted from policy intent to active pursuit of foreign branch campuses.
- Global universities were invited to establish physical presence in Saudi Arabia.
- Higher education became a strategic lever for economic diversification and knowledge transfer.
What it looked like
- Unclear pathway
- Universities lacked clarity on how to apply and what would be assessed.
- Review processes risked inconsistency without defined governance standards.
- The initiative risked remaining aspirational without a repeatable, defensible mechanism.
Why progress stalled
- Mechanism gap
- No formal application pathway for international universities.
- Evaluation and approval criteria were not standardized.
- No unified submission format for institutional review.
- The process needed to balance openness with regulatory rigor and quality protection.
The Engagement
Designing the Regulatory Process from First Principles
ProcessBay’s founder was engaged as a consultant working directly with the authority’s team responsible for defining the regulations governing international university branch campus establishment. The scope of work was precise and execution-focused:
Scope of Work
Regulatory Process Design
Designed a complete end-to-end pathway that institutions can follow and the authority can govern — from initial interest through to cabinet-level decision.
- Mapped stages, inputs/outputs, and required submissions.
- Defined decision gates and review checkpoints to prevent drift.
- Built for repeatability across multiple applications and cycles.
Evaluation Criteria Framework
Established a structured, weighted evaluation model enabling consistent, defensible decisions across institutions.
- Covered accreditation, academic quality, governance, and sustainability.
- Aligned national priorities with international academic standards.
- Enabled comparative scoring when multiple applications are reviewed.
Application Form Architecture
Designed the comprehensive application structure capturing institutional, academic, operational, and financial inputs required for rigorous review.
- Organized inputs into clear domains for navigability.
- Aligned form fields directly to evaluation criteria for traceability.
- Standardized what “complete” looks like to reduce ambiguity.
Approval Workflow Governance
Defined the governance pathway across review stages, stakeholder roles, and escalation mechanisms through ministerial and cabinet-level approval.
- Clarified responsibilities, handoffs, and timelines.
- Established decision gates and communication protocols.
- Designed escalation logic for qualifying institutions to cabinet level.
Design Philosophy
A regulatory process is itself a management process. It requires the same architectural discipline as any operational system: clear purpose, defined inputs, structured evaluation steps, explicit responsibilities, documented outputs, and measurable governance. This is the same thinking that underpins the Skyscraper Model — applied to policy design.
- Rigor without bureaucracy
- International credibility
- Scalable by design
- Regulatory defensibility
The Deliverable
A Complete Application and Evaluation Framework
The engagement produced a comprehensive framework that included the following integrated components:
Application Process
A structured, multi-stage pathway defining the complete journey from institutional expression of interest to operational approval.
Stage 1 — Expression of Interest
Initial submission allowing eligibility and strategic alignment assessment before a full application.
Stage 2 — Full Application
Credentials, academic design, operational plans, financial projections, governance, and Saudi partnerships.
Stage 3 — Technical Evaluation
Structured scoring against defined criteria with stakeholder input from relevant government entities.
Stage 4 — Approval Pathway
Escalation through ministerial review to cabinet-level decision with timelines and communication protocols.
Application Form
A detailed application document designed to capture the full scope of information required for rigorous evaluation.
- Institutional identity, history, and international accreditation status
- Proposed academic programs, faculty qualifications, and research capacity
- Governance and management structure for the branch campus
- Financial sustainability model, investment commitments, and revenue projections
- Physical infrastructure plans and location requirements
- Student recruitment strategy and projected enrollment
- Partnership and collaboration arrangements with Saudi institutions
- Alignment with national education priorities and Vision 2030 objectives
Evaluation Criteria
A structured scoring framework enabling consistent, defensible evaluation across applications.
- Weighted criteria reflecting national priorities
- International academic standards maintained
- Comparative assessment when multiple applications are reviewed simultaneously
- Designed for transparent, auditable decision-making
What Made It Work
A fully operational process with working documents — adopted as the official procedure without redesign.
- Complete working documentation provided
- Ready for immediate implementation
- No redesign or adaptation required
- Adopted as the official procedure
The Results
From Framework to National Impact
The application process was formally adopted in late 2023, coinciding with the approval of the Executive Regulation for establishing branches of foreign universities in the Kingdom — published in the official Umm Al-Qura Gazette in October 2023. Since implementation, the framework has generated measurable regulatory throughput at the national level:
Regulatory Throughput
- Jan 2024 → Feb 2026
Within two years, Saudi Arabia’s international university strategy evolved from concept to cabinet-level approvals through a structured regulatory mechanism designed to enable rigorous, government-level decision-making, while broader outcomes were supported by additional policy and institutional factors.
Key Milestones
- Oct 2023 - 2026
October 2023 • Executive Regulation Published
The Executive Regulation for establishing branches of foreign universities was formally approved and published in the official Umm Al-Qura Gazette.
2024–2025 • Five International Universities Licensed
Arizona State University, University of Wollongong, University of Strathclyde, RCSI, and IE University received foreign investor licenses.
October 2025• University of New Haven Approved
First Council of Ministers approval for an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia, with planned opening in Fall 2026.
October 2025 • University of Strathclyde Approved
Cabinet approval granted for branch campus establishment as part of the first cohort of international universities entering Saudi Arabia.
2024–2026 • 199 Investment Licenses Issued
Foreign education investment licenses issued since the framework became operational, indicating significant inbound interest.
The ProcessBay Connection
From Policy Process to Execution Architecture
This engagement reflects a core ProcessBay thesis: the gap between strategic intent and operational reality is almost always an execution architecture problem. The Kingdom’s ambition to attract international universities was clear and well-articulated. What was missing was the structured mechanism capable of translating vision into consistent, defensible, government-level decisions.
The work applied the same foundational principles that underpin ProcessBay’s broader methodology — treating policy execution with the same structural discipline as complex operational systems.
The Thesis That Built ProcessBay
Organizations — and governments — do not fail because they lack vision. They fail because they lack the execution architecture to make vision repeatable. ProcessBay exists to build that structure — enabling strategy to move from intent to disciplined, scalable execution.
What Transferred
- 1
Process as the Core Foundation
Structured as a disciplined management process with clear roles.
- 2
Architecture Before Complexity
Delivered as a practical, ready-to-implement regulatory framework.
- 3
Scalability Through Structure
Designed as a repeatable system for consistent multi-institution evaluation.
- 4
The Skyscraper Model Applied to Policy
Embedded quality gates and governance for disciplined decisions.