University of New Haven – Riyadh Partners with Saudi Fintech Leader Tamara to Make an American-Accredited Education More Accessible

Pursuing an American-accredited education in Riyadh has become more financially accessible for Saudi students and families. A new agreement between the University of New Haven – Riyadh (NHU-Riyadh) and Tamara, the Saudi financial technology company, enables students and their families to spread tuition across installments through Tamara’s platform. Leo Lester, Ph.D., senior vice president for NHU-Riyadh, signed the agreement in Riyadh on 31 August 2026 on behalf of the University of New Haven; Rakan Alrowais, CEO Tamara KSA, signed on behalf of Tamara.

Payment can be made through the Tamara app that shoppers across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia already use every day. Families choose the plan that best suits them, subject to Tamara’s approval and the financing limits set by Saudi regulation. Founded in Riyadh in 2020, Tamara has grown into one of the Kingdom’s leading financial technology companies and is licensed and supervised by the Saudi Central Bank.

NHU-Riyadh was launched to connect students with the workplace and to make them better than ready for the industries driving Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation. That work begins with access. Before the University can prepare students for a career, they must be able to enroll. Payment plans through Tamara help open that door to more families across the Kingdom. The campus welcomed its first undergraduate and graduate students at Misk City in August 2026.

“Bringing a University of New Haven education within reach of as many Saudi families as possible is central to why we came to the Kingdom,” said Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., president of the University of New Haven. “This agreement puts Tamara, a payment platform Saudi families already trust, to work for funding tuition, empowering students to pursue their ambitious goals and advancing Vision 2030.”

“Tamara is already a familiar and reliable payment platform for families across the Kingdom,” said Leo Lester, Ph.D., senior vice president for NHU-Riyadh. “Now the same app supports investing in tuition for an educational experience that will provide an unparalleled return on investment. This removes one more barrier preventing an admitted student from securing a seat in our classrooms.”

NHU-Riyadh teaches at Misk City through its College of Business and Digital Innovation, the first of three colleges planned in Riyadh.