Georgetown Qatar welcomes 150 new students, announces new major and minors
Georgetown University in Qatar is pleased to welcome 150 students in its incoming Class of 2030. The talented cohort was among just 9.4% of all applicants selected. All are bilingual, with more than half speaking three or more languages. Their accomplishments include membership on Qatar’s national tennis, equestrian, skeet shooting, volleyball and wrestling teams, as well as distinctions in the performing arts and academic competitions, including serving as concertmaster of the Qatar Youth Orchestra, performing with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, winning academic Olympiads and leading community service initiative.
They join the Qatar campus at an exciting time, with the launch of new programs designed to prepare students to meaningfully contribute to society, including a major in Science, Technology and International Affairs (STIA), alongside new minors in Art, Heritage, and Cultural Diplomacy, and Women’s and Gender Studies. To support the program growth, the university also welcomed seven new faculty members in 2026, teaching in the disciplines of Arabic, international economics, international politics, and STIA, with five additional visiting faculty members.
The class was officially welcomed into the community at Georgetown’s New Student Convocation ceremony last week by the new university president, Eduardo M. Peñalver, who sent warm greetings from the Hilltop campus in Washington, D.C. Acting Dean Clyde Wilcox also welcomed the students and offered them advice.
“Take advantage of the diversity of the university, and learn from it. We are in a region that is in the world’s gaze, and you have an extraordinary vantage point from which to observe events as they unfold,” said Dean Wilcox. “What you develop here is judgment about ideas, theories and facts, and much of that learning will come from the people around you.”
Professor Nandini Deo also advised students: “Define yourself by the problem you will help solve. Figure out what is unfair, unjust or not good enough about today’s world. Then, find the people who are working to understand that problem and solve that problem.”
Accepting the Georgetown University in Qatar banner to carry forward on behalf of his class at the ceremony was Adarsh Kumar from Bihar, India, who has been working to solve problems for his community from a young age. Raised with limited access to education and funding, he began his journey to empower himself and others by founding his first educational access nonprofit at age 13 and, at 16, launching Skillzo, an educational tutoring and access platform that has already helped over 20,000 students improve their skills and connect them to opportunities. His dedication and perseverance earned him the $100,000 2025 Chegg.org Global Student Prize in 2025 and a place as the youngest-ever Google Youth Advisor.
Adarsh Kumar, front left, stands ready to carry forward the banner of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service for the Class of 2030. He received the banner from Ayah Ahmed, Class of 2027, front right, who recieved the banner four years ago.
“In just my first week, GU-Q already feels like home. I come from modest beginnings, and I am here to learn from diverse perspectives, challenge myself in every possible way and acquire the tools I need to create real-world impact,” said Adarsh. “I look forward to the journey ahead, preparing for the real world while building lifelong memories along the way.”
Class of 2030 Statistics
- Class of 2030: 150
- Admit Rate: 9.4%
- Gender: 35% male, 65% female
- Residency status: 43% Qatari, 25.5% resident expatriate, 31.5% international
- Nationalities represented: 42
- Languages spoken: 25
- First-generation college students: 9%
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