Northwestern University in Qatar will reduce tuition by 10 percent for the fall semester, according to an email sent Monday by the university’s senior leadership. This decision was announced two days after Northwestern in Evanston made a similar announcement about its fall quarter tuition fees.  

 “Several factors were considered in making the decision, including our tuition peg to the Evanston campus, fairness and equity to our students within the Northwestern universe, our partnership with the Qatar Foundation, and our understanding that all of us, institutions and individuals, are navigating these challenging times together,” NU-Q Dean Marwan Kraidy said to The Daily Q. 

The reduction will most immediately impact students who are not on any form of financial aid. It will also apply to students with QF loans so as to reduce their loan amount, said Barry Sexton, director of Business & Finance at NU-Q. However, students on need-based aid will not be directly affected.

“Those of you who receive need-based aid will not be impacted, as your aid will be reduced commensurate to tuition, and your expected family contribution will remain the same,” the email to the student body stated. This includes students with sponsorships, Qatar Foundation scholarships, NU-Q need-based grants, and NU-Q merit-based scholarships.

Although many universities around the world are reluctant to reduce tuition fees because of fixed costs, NU-Q officials said the university is unlikely to experience significant financial consequences as a result.

“Reducing tuition means that our revenues will also be reduced…but NU-Q is very fortunate that we will be able to adjust to the tuition decrease without major consequences, with the important support of our partner, the Qatar Foundation,” said Interim Senior Associate Dean Kathleen Hewett-Smith .  

Other U.S. universities in Education City have not announced plans to reduce tuition for the fall.

The fall semester is set to remain online and NU-Q and other EC universities are expected to comply with the COVID-19 requirements of both the Ministry of Public Health and Qatar Foundation.

“Our top priority is, as always, delivering the best, most high-quality education and learning experiences possible, while ensuring our students’ good health and safety during the global pandemic,” said Dean Kraidy. “The senior leadership team at NU-Q is committed to the well-being of our students and will proactively do everything we can to make this school year as productive, meaningful, and safe as is possible under the challenging situation we are all in.”