Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, welcomed the first students of the Class of 2025 at a small, socially-distanced gathering on campus.
A total of 31 students from 12 nations were admitted through the CMU-Q’s Early Decision application.
The regular application deadline is February 1.
CMU-Q dean Michael Trick noted that last year’s Early Decision celebration was one of the last in-person events before the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic.
“Students, you have spent your final year of high school studying in very unusual circumstances,” he said. 
“I hope that soon, we can all turn the page on the pandemic and your university years will be full of friends, in-person classes, study groups and community celebrations.”
This year, 31 students from 18 high schools around Qatar were offered admission under Early Decision.
Students are invited to apply for Early Decision after participating in a CMU-Q workshop for pre-college students, which offer a taste of the CMU-Q’s undergraduate programmes of biological sciences, business administration, computer science and information systems.