QF partner Texas A&M at Qatar announces record student enrollment

Doha, Qatar — Texas A&M at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university, welcomed 162 new students in fall 2023, including 86 Qatari students. This year has the highest enrollment in the university’s history.

The total number of students at Texas A&M at Qatar this fall is 844, including students from other Education City partner universities enrolled at Texas A&M at Qatar, as well as the students who are studying abroad from Texas A&M’s flagship campus in College Station, Texas (USA). Of the 632 total undergraduate students, 61 percent are Qatari and 48 percent are female students.

The university welcomed 12 new master’s students in fall 2023. This semester, Texas A&M at Qatar is also hosting 87 Ph.D. students from Texas A&M’s College Station campus and 25 Ph.D. Fellows.

The new students aim to become engineers who will contribute to developing innovative and sustainable solutions to critical issues faced by Qatar, the region and the world.

The undergraduate students are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or petroleum engineering. Texas A&M at Qatar also offers a Master of Science and Master of Engineering in chemical engineering. In addition to engineering courses, the students will take courses in science, mathematics, liberal arts and the humanities. Texas A&M at Qatar students are also given the opportunity to cross-register for various courses at other Qatar Foundation partner universities within Education City.

The reputation of the university, its world-class facilities, the high caliber of the faculty who are teaching at the university and the impact Texas A&M at Qatar’s graduates are having in the region were some of the key factors that influenced students’ decision-making process.

The Al-Sharshani triplets—Noor, Zainab and Fatima ’27—said they are eager to pursue bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering from Texas A&M at Qatar.

“We applied to Texas A&M at Qatar as it’s known as one of the best engineering schools in the world; the program is intensive, and there are opportunities for research and other extracurricular activities,” Noor said.  

Zainab said, “I was worried about majoring in chemical engineering, but participating in the MEEZA program during the summer and attending the chemistry lessons during that has helped me feel confident that we can do this.”

Fatima said, “We look forward to becoming engineers who can contribute to the growth and development of Qatar. We believe Texas A&M at Qatar will help us achieve that goal.”

For mechanical engineering freshman Faisal Al Bustami ’27, it was his love for cars and the mechanics of how everything works that brought him to Texas A&M at Qatar.

“I look forward to leveraging all of my interests over the next four years,” Al Bustami said. “My passion for soccer and my love for learning how things work. I am excited about being an Aggie and having fun while continuing to have an incredible engineering education. I currently play soccer for the Qatar Sports Club and I am now keen on wearing the Texas A&M at Qatar jersey on the field too.”

Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, noted that with students hailing from more than 40 different countries, the student body at Texas A&M at Qatar represents diverse academic experiences and cultural backgrounds.

Malavé said, “We are proud to welcome an exceptional cohort of students for fall 2023. Texas A&M at Qatar is educating the next generation of engineering leaders in Qatar — engineers who will contribute to building Qatar’s knowledge economy and lead the global energy transformation. Our students not only get a world-class engineering education, but also opportunities to be part of innovative research. They will be the change makers of tomorrow.”

Before the fall semester began, the new students participated in a three-day orientation program, which is designed to teach students about Texas A&M and its unique traditions, as well as what it takes to succeed at a world-renowned engineering institution.

Students and graduates of Texas A&M University are called “Aggies” and that tradition continues at Texas A&M’s branch campus in Doha. The orientation showcased the opportunities Texas A&M at Qatar offers to students have — from social clubs and activities to transformative educational experiences, such as international service-learning trips, study abroad and undergraduate research.

The students are also part of the global Aggie Network, which now comprises nearly 575,000 Texas A&M graduates worldwide.