Financing for equity in higher education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students
4. Support for students' living costs
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
In Qatar, between 2001 and 2022, the gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education rose from 18.69% to 35.09%. However, data on the initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita and the initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita are not available on the UIS system.
Tuition-free status
No evidence was found of national laws or policies explicitly guaranteeing tuition-free public tertiary education in Qatar. However, Qatari nationals enrolled in public universities generally benefit from state-funded tuition or highly subsidised fee arrangements in practice, while this arrangement is not codified as a formal policy entitlement.
Governance
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education is responsible for financing higher education, with the Department of Financial Affairs centrally implementing financial laws and systems and preparing and supervising the Ministry’s overall budget and accounts. The Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs oversees higher education through the Department of Higher Education Institutions Affairs (licensing, quality assurance, tuition-fee policy proposals) and the Department of Scholarships (implementing scholarship laws and regulations and granting scholarships at higher education institutions), within that ministry-wide financial framework.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There are no education-specific decentralised fiscal transfers to subnational governments. Instead, the MoEHE’s Department of Financial Affairs centrally prepares and implements the ministry’s budget, including allocations to educational institutions, as set out in Amiri Decision No. 35 of 2022 on the organisational structure of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
No evidence was found that Qatar provides government funding to private universities when no public university is available. Higher education funding prioritises public institutions and branch campuses via the Qatar Foundation, with private providers operating on tuition fees without direct state subsidies. However, the MoEHE conducts licensing and quality assurance for private higher education institutions through application reviews, standards enforcement, inspections, and accreditation.
Allocation and equity
No evidence was found of a publicly disclosed, formula-based funding mechanism defining how public higher education institutions receive budget allocations in Qatar.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
No evidence was found of admission quotas or preferential admission criteria targeting socio-economically vulnerable groups in public higher education.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
The In-country Scholarship, administered by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), is a merit-based scholarship programme that supports high-achieving Qatari students to study at approved national and private universities within Qatar. Students are selected competitively based on Secondary School Certificate results and admitted to labour-market priority disciplines. Eligibility is defined by academic performance thresholds (e.g. minimum secondary certificate scores and unconditional university acceptance), with additional criteria for specific pathways such as top-ranking secondary students and priority education fields. The programme’s focus is on academic excellence rather than socio-economic vulnerability.
4. Support for students’ living costs
No evidence was found of national policies providing transportation, accommodation allowances, or textbook subsidies for public higher education students in Qatar.
