The announcement of the establishment of Prince Sultan University took place during a ceremony held in the presence of Prince Sultan, where it was declared the establishment of the first non-profit private college in Saudi Arabia as a gift to His Highness Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz upon his return from the medical treatment journey in 1998. The founder, King Salman, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was instrumental in establishing PSU when he was the Governor of Riyadh Region and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science (RPSS).