Helping students to overcome financial challenges

The financial burden of education is one of the main causes of stress and anxiety for many college students, who - in addition to the daily costs of living – often have to cope with the demands of taking long-term loans to pay their tuition fees, and large amounts of debt.

As a believer in inclusive, accessible education, Qatar Foundation (QF) aims to help students avoid this strain. And its Student Financial Services Department outlined how when it organized a seminar for students at Education City, and their parents, to learn about the scholarships and financial support options that QF offers, and how they can be accessed to help young learners overcome one of the obstacles to education.

The symposium provided an overview of how students can qualify to benefit QF’s financial aid, when they can apply, and the types of scholarships on offer, which include QF Merit Scholarships, QF Financial Aid, funding from a university, private, corporate, or federal funding, and student employment.
“The financial aid QF offers benefits students, and over the years it has had a great positive impact on them,” said Noof A. Al-Derham, Student Financial Services Director, QF.

“Our programs are unique and designed to help students facing financial challenges that may otherwise prevent them from achieving their goals, because a financial burden may cause student distraction and lead to a lack of focus in their studies.

"There are families who have five or seven children studying in Education City, and one of the aims of these programs is to help this particular group of students and their families and provide them with the financial means necessary to achieve their educational goals, as well as removing financial barriers that may prevent outstanding students from going to university.”

The QF Merit Scholarships are open to undergraduate students who have completed two semesters of academic study in Education City and have a GPA of 3.6 or above. “This highly-competitive scholarship is open to students from all QF universities, with an equal number being selected from each.” explained Al-Derham.

"QF also provides another element of financial support, which is an interest-free loan program that gives students an equal opportunity to receive a quality university education. It’s open to all students who have been accepted into an undergraduate program at QF."

QF also provides funding to support students in meeting university expenses through enabling them to do part-time work on campus. Student employment ranges from jobs at universities, such as teaching and research assistants, to those at QF’s recreation facilities and student housing complexes.

The financial aid cycle for newly accepted students runs from April 1 until May 31 every year, and from February 1 until March 2 each year for returning students. The application period fort the QF Merit Scholarships runs from May 15 to June 5.