The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation partner university, has welcomed new and returning students to campus for the start of the 2026-27 academic year, with record enrolment across several measures.
VCUarts Qatar has enrolled 376 undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students this fall – the largest student body in the school’s history and an 8.35% increase over fall 2025.
An additional 33 students from other Education City universities are taking courses at VCUarts Qatar through the cross-registration programme, bringing the total number of students studying at the university this fall to 409.
The university also welcomed a record 105 new students, a 7% increase over fall 2025.
In a press statement, VCUarts Qatar dean Amir Berbić said: “These record enrolment numbers reflect the growing interest in the distinctive education we offer and, more broadly, in the role that artists, designers and scholars can play in shaping the future of Qatar and the region.”
“More importantly, they represent hundreds of individual students bringing their own ideas, perspectives and ambitions to our community,” he said. “We look forward to seeing where their creativity and hard work will lead.”
New students began their university experience with an orientation programme designed to introduce them to VCUarts Qatar’s academic programmes, creative facilities, student services, and the wider campus community.
The programme culminated in the New Student Convocation, which formally welcomed the incoming Class of 2030.
The new academic year will bring opportunities for students to learn across disciplines, take part in research and creative practice, connect with visiting artists, designers and scholars, and engage with VCUarts Qatar’s growing network of partners in Qatar and internationally.
It will also mark an important milestone for the university, as the inaugural cohort of students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Kinetic Imaging prepares to graduate in spring 2027.
VCUarts Qatar offers undergraduate programmes in Art History, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Kinetic Imaging, and Painting + Printmaking, as well as an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Design.
Through Education City’s cross-registration programme, students from partner universities can also enrol in selected courses at VCUarts Qatar, contributing to an active exchange of knowledge and perspectives across the multiversity community.
Established in 1998 through a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Qatar Foundation, VCUarts Qatar was the first international university to open in Education City.
Today, its students, faculty and alumni contribute to Qatar’s creative and cultural landscape and to an increasingly connected international community of artists, designers, researchers and scholars.