Between five and ten 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 aid from Qatar Foundation. No extra application is required to apply for the merit scholarships, and students are notified of their awards at the same time they receive the offer of admission. Awards are made based on secondary school performance and testing scores.

Need-based financial assistance is available to students of all nationalities through the Hamad bin Khalifa Financial Aid Program administered by Qatar Foundation. Loans of up to 100% of tuition and fees can be made to families based on their unique financial circumstances. Please note: The QF Financial Aid Committee does not guarantee to meet 100 percent need even if a student qualifies for aid. Students residing outside of Qatar are only eligible to receive loans up to 90% of the cost of attendance at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, according to the policy of Qatar Foundation.

The loans can be repaid either by normal financial installments or by time served working in Qatar immediately following graduation. The second option, known as the “Paid Service Option” is unique to Qatar and it enables even students with heavy debt loads to have their loans forgiven if they work in Qatar for an approved Qatari entity. For more information, check out HBKU’s Financial Aid FAQ sheet. For the Arabic version, click here.

This program requires a separate application, which is done entirely online. The application will open on April 1 for new students.

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 financial aid from Qatar Foundation, please understand that you can receive FAFSA funding in addition to QF funding. The university does provide QF with information regarding students’ FAFSA awards to avoid students receiving more than 100% funding.

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.

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 Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor & Social Affairs at +974 4028 8888 or visit their website for further information.