“We are ecstatic and relieved that the university has finally complied with a 2006 court ruling ordering it to return our fees,” said Sattam Saleh Al-Awad, spokesperson for the students. “Our effort to publicize our just case has not been in vain,” he added, thanking everyone who helped them.

The university has announced it will pay SR25,000 to each student who was enrolled in the program. Over 1,000 male and female students enrolled in the program which is no longer available and was taught at the university’s premises in Qassim, Riyadh, Madinah and Al-Ahsa.

The university’s rector, Sulaiman Abalkhail, has expressed happiness at the success of the team formulated by the university to resolve the issue.

“I just want to thank our rulers for their constant support and encouragement to provide the best possible services to citizens,” he said.

Abdullah Al-Ruzain, dean of community service and constant education at the university, advised all students to log on to the university's website to look for their names and to come and collect their money at their appointed times. “Every student should bring his identity card, the diploma certificate and the court order decision," he added. The graduates’ plight began in 2001 when Al-Faisal Academy announced a two-year academic program, completion of which would qualify students as elementary English teachers.

The program was affiliated with and sponsored by Imam University. The program claimed it was accredited by the Ministry of Education and accepted by the Ministry of Civil Service, the body that hands out teaching jobs in the Kingdom.

The certificates handed to the students carried the seals of the university and Al-Faisal Academy. It was only after their graduation that students learned that the program was not recognized.

The two-year program was executed by Al-Faisal Academy on the premises of the Imam University in four of the Kingdom’s regions.

The university’s reluctance to obey the court order led the students to file a complaint with the Ministry of Interior. The complaint was then passed to the Ministry of Higher Education, which referred the case back to the university.

The graduates ran a very successful media campaign to get back their rights. A number of leading columnists in Saudi newspapers wrote extensively on this issue and gave assurances that the students had a valid case.

The students launched a website (www.helpus2008.com/vb) to promote their cause after the university failed to comply with the court order. The website provided information on the case since it began eight years ago. Information on the various stages of the case is available on the website, which includes an archive of documents relating to it as well as several sections on press coverage.