The University of Austin has announced the closure of its campus in Qatar due to heightened instability in the Middle East [fa0d1c88]. This decision follows a vote by the university's board of regents. The University of Austin was one of six US universities in Qatar's Education City, along with Texas A&M, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon [fa0d1c88]. Despite this setback, the University of Austin is continuing to accept undergraduate students for its main campus in the United States for the fall 2024 semester [a3d93ad1].
In other news, Forbes magazine has recognized the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) and Rice University as being among the top universities in the United States, similar to the prestigious Ivy League institutions [544eaf62]. The ranking was based on unique criteria developed by Forbes, which evaluated factors such as student quality and employer satisfaction. Indian students, who represent the largest international student population in the US, benefit from the recognition. Other universities on Forbes' list include the University of MichiganāAnn Arbor, Binghamton University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University. UT Austin is a large public university with an acceptance rate of 31%, while Rice University is a private institution with a highly selective admissions process, boasting an acceptance rate of only 8.7% [544eaf62].
The closure of the University of Austin's campus in Qatar comes amid recognition of Texas universities for their academic excellence. Six American universities, including the University of Austin and Texas A&M, have been operating in Qatar's Education City for over 20 years, awarding degrees to Qatari students and others who choose to study there [bc3436cb]. Qatar spends approximately $500 million annually to fund the operation of these branch campuses, and the universities have played a significant role in shaping the education and development of young Qataris. The closure of the University of Austin's campus in Qatar is a result of the heightened instability in the Middle East, but it does not diminish the achievements and contributions of the American universities in Qatar [bc3436cb].