Carnegie Mellon is excited to announce the start of a new need-based grant program for students entering in August 2019*. The CMUQ QF need-based grant program is available to students of all nationalities through the Qatar Foundation. Grants (i.e. free aid with no repayment) of up to 100% of the cost of attendance can be made to families based on their unique financial circumstances. For incoming students, all need-based aid from Qatar Foundation will be provided in the forms of grants. This grant program replaces the previous use of loans that required repayment.

The CMUQ QF need-based grant program is an outstanding opportunity for international students to receive funding for their studies at Carnegie Mellon. To begin your need-based grant application, please start the application here: https://fas.qf.org.qa

The deadline to submit the CMUQ QF need-based grant application is two weeks from the date of the student’s admission offer.

*Current CMU students who entered in 2018 or before will remain on the financial aid program under which they enrolled.  The CMUQ QF grant program is only approved and available for new students entering in 2019 and afterward.

Please note that U.S. citizens, and some non-citizens (ex. green card holders) are eligible for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) to support your studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. There are different types of funding within FAFSA, including grants (no repayment) and loans.

We would advise all U.S. citizens to apply for FAFSA by following these instructions and filling out this Verification Worksheet. If you are not a U.S. citizen, but think you might be eligible, please check the information on this site to see if you could be eligible:http://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility

If you are applying for need-based grants through the CMU-Q QF grant program, please understand that all US citizens will be required to apply for FAFSA aid before
CMU-Q will release the Final Award Letter. This is required to avoid students receiving more need based aid than they would be appropriately eligible for. Eligible FAFSA aid will be included into the Final Award Letter amount from CMU-Q.

Qatar Foundation’s scholarship program awards a limited number of full-tuition merit scholarships annually to students who have spent at least two semesters in one of the Education City’s branch campuses. Students who have achieved a 3.6 GPA or above during their studies in Education City are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Selection is not guaranteed as the number of available scholarships changes each year and depends on the amount of donations awarded to the Qatar Foundation scholarship program by individuals, private, and public institutions each year. The application cycle is open from May 1 – June 15 for currently enrolled Carnegie Mellon students. For additional information, please contact the Qatar Foundation Scholarship Office.

Between four to eight merit scholarships are awarded annually by CMU-Q to the most academically promising applicants. These awards cover between 10 and 75 percent of tuition fees and can be combined with need-based grants from the CMU-Q QF grant program. To be considered for merit scholarships, students should submit the CMU-Q QF grant application. Students are notified of any merit scholarship awards at the same time they receive their initial Financial Award Letter from CMU Qatar. Awards are made in a similar manner to our admission decisions with a holistic process involving many factors.

For Qatari citizens and citizens of other GCC countries, government scholarships and/or company sponsorships typically cover the full cost of attendance. Qatari nationals should contact the Scholarship Office of the Higher Education Institute (HEI) at +974 4465 1173 or visit their website for further information.