Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) is Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Education City, Doha, offering four-year bachelor’s degrees in Artificial Intelligence, Biological Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Science and Information Systems. Through the financial generosity of Qatar Foundation, CMU-Q offers need-based grants, which are aid with no repayment, of up to the full cost of attendance, to families based on their unique financial circumstances. The grant programme is open to students of all nationalities. For reference, tuition and fees for first-year students in 2026-27 are USD 72,500 (QAR 264,625).
The round you choose decides whether you can get aid. CMU-Q runs Early Decision and Regular Decision. Early Decision (application deadline 1 November, decisions 15 December) is for Qatari citizens, non-Qatari residents of Qatar, or international students with zero financial need. CMU-Q states that financial aid is not available for international students accepted during the Early Decision round, and that international applicants admitted through Early Decision will not be able to apply for financial aid at a later date. If you live outside Qatar and need funding, apply through Regular Decision.
Regular Decision dates for 2027 admission:
– Application deadline: 15 January 2027
– QF need-based grant application priority deadline: 1 February 2027
– Decisions sent to applicants: 1 April 2027
– Enrollment deadline: 1 May 2027
– First-year orientation: 16 August 2027; semester begins 22 August 2027
What the application needs: a Common Application account and the CMU-Q application with its writing supplement essay; transcripts from all secondary schools attended covering grades 10, 11 and 12; official TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo results, which CMU-Q requires of every applicant; SAT or ACT results depending on your first-choice major under the Fall 2027 rules; one recommendation from a college counselor, principal or academic advisor and one from a teacher; and a non-refundable USD 70 application fee paid online, for which a fee waiver can be requested inside the Common App.
The grant application is separate from the admission application. Start it at the Qatar Foundation financial aid system, fas.qf.org.qa, and submit it by 1 February 2027 so that it is reviewed with your admission file. Applicants from the GCC who are residents of Qatar fall under the resident category and may apply for aid in either round; applicants from other Arab countries living outside Qatar should plan on Regular Decision.