The College of Nursing-Riyadh (CON-R), originally “College of Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences” (CNAMS), was founded by the Royal Decree No. 18226, dated 11-9-1424 Hejra, corresponding to 26th, 11, 2001 G, issued by His Royal Highness, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, at that time HRH Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard.

In 2005, the College was incorporated into the newly established King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), and in May 2007, was given its new designation “College of Nursing, Riyadh” by HE, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Chief Executive Officer of National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA), who is also the President of the University and of CON-R.

The urgency for the establishment of the College arose in response to the massive shortage of Saudi nurses, amounting to 100,000 nurses. It offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. The aim and objectives were clearly stated in the initial phase of the development of the College. The College awards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to two educational streams. One stream (Stream I) has, as its intake, secondary school graduates and follows what is known as the conventional program. The other stream (Stream II) admits holders of Bachelor of Science Degrees. These students follow what is known as the Graduate Entry Accelerated Program. This program is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is designed to expedite the process of graduation by recognizing these students’ previous learning and as a venue to help increase the supply of nurses in a shorter time.