StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
Qatar Airways runs a national university scholarship programme that sponsors young Qataris through a full Bachelor’s degree, either at a university in Qatar or at an approved university abroad — in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or another country recognised by Qatar Airways and Qatar’s Ministry of Education. It is a sponsorship, not just a grant: scholars are selected competitively, sign a scholarship contract with the airline together with a Qatari guarantor, and on graduation enter the airline’s Graduate Development Programme. The trade-off is explicit and long: a minimum of five years’ work with Qatar Airways after graduation, in an assigned role and location, with no immediate move to a Master’s degree afterwards.
The eligibility rules are narrow by design, and several aggregator pages blur them. The programme is for Qatari nationals and children of a Qatari mother only; children of Qatari mothers are reviewed for local universities within Qatar, not for overseas study. The academic bar is a high-school average of 85% for Qatari nationals and 90% for children of Qatari mothers, with an IELTS score of 5.5 or 6.0 respectively. One aggregator instead describes continuing university students with a 2.8 GPA and 30 credit hours — that describes a different stage of the programme, not the school-leaver route in this article, and applicants should confirm which route fits them on the portal.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees for the Bachelor’s degree, at a Ministry-accredited university on the approved list.
- Monthly stipend and living costs, plus accommodation — the programme covers the cost of living, but no stipend amount is published in the sources checked, so no figure is stated here.
- Health insurance and travel, including visa and travel costs to the country of study.
- Training and internships with Qatar Airways during the degree, and pre-approval support for overseas study.
- Guaranteed career path: entry to the Graduate Development Programme on graduation — and the matching obligation of at least five years’ service with the airline.
Who can apply
- Nationality: Qatari nationals, or children of a Qatari mother. Children of Qatari mothers must have completed their entire education in Qatar, and their applications are reviewed for local study in Qatar only.
- Age and schooling: aged 17–24 at the time of application, with high school completed within the last three years.
- Grades: a minimum high-school overall score of 85% for Qatari nationals and 90% for children of Qatari mothers. Certificates issued outside Qatar need a Ministry of Education equivalency statement.
- English: a recent IELTS score (within the last 24 months) — 5.5 overall with no component below 5.0 for Qatari nationals, 6.0 overall with no component below 5.0 for children of Qatari mothers.
- Study plan: a Bachelor’s degree only, in English, in a major on Qatar Airways’ accepted list, at a university accredited by Qatar’s Ministry of Education. Overseas study needs a pre-approval letter from the Ministry.
- Conduct and status: good conduct, medically fit, not currently employed or sponsored by another entity, not previously removed from a Qatar Airways scholarship or job — and a Qatari guarantor who agrees to repay Qatar Airways if the scholar fails or withdraws.
Documents required
- Passport and Qatar ID — colour copies for the student and for the guarantor, plus a recent passport photo.
- High-school certificate or equivalency, with subject grades and completion date.
- IELTS certificate, taken within the last 24 months.
- Unconditional university acceptance letter, with the major, courses, fees and study dates, plus a pre-approval letter from the Ministry of Education if studying abroad.
- National Service certificate (male applicants: completion, deferment or exemption) and “to whom it may concern” letters confirming you are not under another scholarship (Ministry of Education) and not employed (Ministry of Labour).
- For children of Qatari mothers: the mother’s ID, a birth certificate, and a Ministry of Education certificate confirming all schooling took place in Qatar.
- After shortlisting: police clearance, medical tests, the guarantor’s salary or pension certificate, and a bank IBAN certificate, before the scholarship contract is signed.
How to apply
- Check every criterion against the official portal first — nationality basis, age, grades, IELTS score and approved major — because Qatar Airways reviews applications competitively rather than accepting every qualified applicant.
- Write and submit a Letter of Interest to Qatar’s Ministry of Education. This is a required first step, distinct from the university application itself.
- Gather all documents in advance in JPEG, PNG, PDF or Word format, and secure your unconditional university offer and, for overseas study, the Ministry pre-approval letter.
- Upload everything to the Qatar Airways scholarship portal. There is no fixed deadline published — dates are announced annually — so apply as early as possible and confirm the current year’s timeline on the portal.
- If shortlisted, attend the Qatar Airways interview and complete police clearance, medical tests and guarantor verification, then sign the scholarship contract with your guarantor.
FAQs
No — not in the general sense. It is open only to Qatari nationals and children of a Qatari mother. Aggregator pages that label it an “international students” scholarship are misleading; the nationality rule is the first eligibility test.
No fixed deadline is published. The programme runs annually with dates announced on the official portal, and applicants are advised to apply as early as possible. Do not trust a single date from a third-party page.
Full undergraduate funding for up to four years: tuition fees, a monthly stipend, living costs, accommodation, health insurance and travel. No stipend amount is published in the sources checked, so none is stated here.
Join Qatar Airways immediately under the Graduate Development Programme and work for a minimum of five years in an assigned role and location. An immediate Master’s degree afterwards is not part of the deal.
A high-school average of 85% for Qatari nationals or 90% for children of Qatari mothers, and a recent IELTS score of 5.5 overall (nationals) or 6.0 overall (children of Qatari mothers), with no component below 5.0.
Yes — a Qatari guarantor who formally agrees to repay Qatar Airways if you fail or withdraw from the scholarship. The guarantor’s passport, Qatar ID and salary or pension details are part of the file.
Verified 29 Oct 2026 against ScholarWaka (Qatari nationals or children of a Qatari mother; 17-24; high school within 3 years; 85% / 90%; IELTS 5.5 / 6.0 within 24 months, no component below 5.0; approved major; Ministry-accredited university; pre-approval for overseas study; Qatari guarantor; Letter of Interest to the Ministry of Education as a required first step; interview, police clearance, medical tests, guarantor salary/pension certificate, bank IBAN, scholarship contract) plus After School Africa (full tuition, monthly stipend, living costs, accommodation, health insurance, visa/travel; up to 4 years; 5-year Graduate Development Programme commitment) and ScholarshipsAds (same eligibility set; unconditional offer required; not employed/sponsored; guarantor required). CONFLICTS: (1) Aggregator pages labelling this an "international students" scholarship are wrong — the programme is Qatari nationals and children of Qatari mothers only, and the article leads with that correction. (2) One aggregator describes continuing students with GPA 2.8 and 30 credit hours — that is a different stage/route from the school-leaver criteria used here, and the article flags it rather than merging the two. (3) No fixed deadline is published on the official programme pages; aggregator dates are not used, and the article states the rolling/annual position honestly.
