Hamad Bin Khalifa University is the research university of Qatar Foundation in Education City, Doha. It runs graduate programs in science and engineering, health and life sciences, Islamic studies, humanities and social sciences, law and public policy. You do not apply for its scholarships separately: every admitted student is considered during admission. Awards depend on merit, financial need and available funds, so an offer of admission is not automatically an offer of funding.
What it covers: PhD programs get a 100% tuition waiver. STEM master’s programs get 75%, and most humanities, social science and policy master’s programs get 60%. The LL.M., MS Economics and certificates get no waiver. International students also receive a monthly stipend: QAR 9,000 for a PhD (for up to 45 months) and QAR 7,000 for a master’s (for up to 21 months), plus one round-trip flight. Housing is not included; HBKU expects you to pay for it from the stipend.
The real catch: stipend holders work as research assistants for 10 hours a week. If you keep a job at more than 40% of full-time hours, you lose the stipend. That matters for Gulf professionals who hope to study while keeping their job.
Who it fits: for the College of Science and Engineering, HBKU asks for a GPA of at least 3.0 and IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 79; other colleges may set different figures. Some PhDs require the GRE. You need two referees, a 300–500-word personal statement, and a QAR 250 application fee (the College of Science and Engineering figure).
Timeline: the application opens on 1 October 2026. International applicants must apply by 1 February 2027. Qatari and Qatar-resident applicants who want funding have until 15 March 2027, and residents have a late deadline of 2 May 2027.
Tips for applicants from the region:
1. If you live in Qatar but are not Qatari, you fall under the ‘local’ category. Your stipend is lower (QAR 5,000 for a PhD, QAR 4,000 for a master’s) but your deadline is later. Check which category applies to you before planning.
2. Budget for rent in Doha before you accept. For a master’s student, the QAR 7,000 stipend has to cover housing.
3. For the SHAPE master’s programs, the 60% waiver leaves 40% of the tuition to pay. Ask admissions for the exact program cost.
4. Explain your university’s grading scale in the upload. HBKU asks for it.
5. International applicants should aim for December. February is the hard cut-off for you, not the March date you may see mentioned.
