Gulf Universities: Find Your Ideal Survey Solution

For universities across Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman, harnessing the power of data collection is more crucial than ever. Whether gathering student feedback, facilitating faculty research or assessing institutional effectiveness - the right survey platform is key.

However, finding a solution that meets the unique needs of universities in the Gulf region is challenging. The wrong survey tools can lead to disconnected data silos, team collaboration issues, and risks around privacy laws like Saudi's new Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and other compliance mandates.

The PDPL is Saudi Arabia's latest data protection legislation aiming to safeguard personal data of residents. For universities operating in the Kingdom, it mandates stringent requirements:

• Data Localization: Personal data must be stored and processed within Saudi borders or approved locations only
• Consent Management: Clear, affirmative consent must be obtained before data processing
• Data Subject Rights: Enabling individuals to access, rectify or object to processing their data
• Cross-Border Transfers: Special approvals needed for transferring personal data abroad
• Data Governance: Appointing Data Protection Officers, maintaining records, performing risk assessments

With penalties up to ~$25 million for non-compliance, adhering to the PDPL for data activities like surveys and research involving student/personnel data is critical for Saudi universities.

So how can universities in KSA, UAE and Oman select an ideal, compliance-friendly survey partner? Look for these capabilities:

1. Multilingual Data Capture

With Arabic, English and other languages prevalent, your survey platform must enable creating and deploying multilingual surveys effortlessly.

2. Localized Cloud & PDPL Compliance

Data residency within Saudi, PDPL-adherent consent workflows, access controls and audit trails are essential for universities in KSA.

3. Powerful Collaboration

For initiatives across campuses or institutional partnerships, you need centralized data capture, secure cloud storage and controlled access workflows.

4. Purpose-Built for Academia

Leave basic tools behind. Robust research capabilities like complex logic, data anonymization, analytical reporting, and more are required.

The Ideal Gulf University Survey Platform

QuestionPro uniquely checks all the boxes with multilingual support, localized Saudi cloud hosting, powerful collaboration features and a rich academia-focused toolset. It's the survey solution of choice:

"QuestionPro enabled our multi-campus Saudi deployments in Arabic and English, while adhering to data localization and consent mandates - something we struggled with previously." - Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

For Gulf universities, finding the right survey platform is critical for delivering data-driven excellence across education, research and operations compliantly. Request a demo of QuestionPro today.