King Khalid University is located in Abha; south-western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, near Yemeni border. The university has been built in three phases, and includes a Medical City, Colleges, Faculty Accommodation, Administrative Buildings, Lecture Halls and Conference Centers. Only the third phase covers more than 700,000 m2.

Since its inception, the goal was to have King Khalid University operate at a single central location. This was impractical at the outset due to the size of the project and the massive infrastructure requirements. Initially, the university occupied buildings in many different locations.

The construction project is under the auspices of the University Vice Presidency of Projects. Day-to-day supervision is provided by a variety of consultants, sub-contractors, and engineers representing various private firms from across the globe.