Niagara College opens campus in Saudi Arabia that doesn’t accept female students

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Students a Niagara College are questioning why the school has opened a campus in Saudi Arabia, where women aren’t allowed to attend. The Saudi campus opened just over a year ago, following a similar expansion by Algonquin College.

Niagara College released this statement: “The campus that most closely aligned with our area of specialization was a campus in Taif where education is provided to males.”

By law, campuses in Saudi Arabia are segregated by gender. Algonquin College’s campus, which opened in 2013 also doesn’t accept female students.

According to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, it’s the responsibility of each college’s board of governors to identify and discuss risks associated with opening campuses abroad. But MPP Peggy Sattler says the reason colleges enter into international businesses with countries with appalling human rights records is because of financial pressures.

She says colleges and universities rely heavily on private funding, like tuition and campuses abroad. But investing in campuses overseas is not a guaranteed money maker. Algonquin College hoped to generate annual revenues of more than $25 million. Those projections have fallen short, the school is close to losing nearly a million dollars. Niagara College expects to generate $4 million over 5 years from its classes in Saudi Arabia.