There were 6 colleges in the city of Riyadh alone in the fields of education, social service, science, arts, and home economics.

In 2004, the birth of the first all-women university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was announced: Riyadh University for Women and unified all 6 of the original colleges in the city of Riyadh. Other colleges around the Kingdom were unified and expanded in their respected regions into independent universities.

In 2008, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the campus and changed the university’s name to “Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University” after Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman, the sister of the country’s first king and leader, King Abdulaziz with this launch was the building of the most modern women's institution of higher education in a self-contained higher education city.

On June 12, 2011, the new campus was opened in an official ceremony by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University is recognized as public women’s university located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. It is the largest University for Women in the world. The university offers diplomas, bachelor, and postgraduate degrees. The campus is 8 million square meters in size, with a maximum capacity of 60,000 students. The campus has 600 high-tech, smart buildings, large-capacity student dormitories, various models of faculty residence units, and three spacious, state-of-the-art recreation centers. In addition, it has pre-schools, primary schools, intermediate and secondary schools. It also has an elegant central library, research center, a university hospital, student support center, sport facilities that students can use a convention center and an automated metro system.