COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M Board of Regents on Thursday voted in favor of shutting down the university's campus in Ar-Rayyan, Qatar, after 20 years.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas A&M’s Board of Regents voted 7-1 to shut down the university's campus in Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

  • The board cites instability in the Middle East as the reason for the closure but didn’t mention the Israel-Hamas war specifically

  • In late 2023, a report alleging that Qatar could influence nuclear research at Texas A&M was released and later dismissed by Texas A&M officials

  • The engineering-focused Qatar campus opened in 2003 as one of six universities in Qatar’s Education City

According to a statement, the board was first in talks to shut down Texas A&M at Qatar in fall 2023 due to “heightened instability in the Middle East.” It did not go into detail or specifically mention the Israel-Hamas war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023.

The motion to terminate the campus passed on a 7-1 vote.

In December 2023, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) published a report alleging that Qatar could influence nuclear research at Texas A&M. Texas A&M President Mark Welsh denied the claims in a Jan. 7 statement titled "Correcting Misinformation About Our University."

"Despite what recent online reports have stated, Texas A&M at Qatar does not offer a nuclear engineering program or any classes on the subject...Many of the recent public reports that call into question our security measures, intentions or motivations are simply wrong and based on false information and assumptions."

The Qatar Foundation expressed disappointment with Texas A&M's decision to cut ties and cited misinformation as the cause.

“The decision of Texas A&M University’s Board of Regents to end its partnership with QF has been influenced by a disinformation campaign aimed at harming the interests of QF. It is disturbing that this disinformation has become the determining factor in the decision and that it has been allowed to override the core principles of education and knowledge, with no consideration to the significant positive impact this partnership has brought for both Qatar and the U.S.," the statement reads. 

In Texas A&M's statement on the Qatar closure, Board Chairman Bill Mahomes said the campus in Qatar is no longer needed. No mention of the ISGAP report was made.

“The Board has decided that the core mission of Texas A&M should be advanced primarily within Texas and the United States,” Board Chairman Bill Mahomes said. “By the middle of the 21st century, the university will not necessarily need a campus infrastructure 8,000 miles away to support education and research collaborations.”

Because of a contract with the Qatar Foundation, the closure won’t take effect for another four years. In the meantime, Texas A&M says it plans on assembling a support team for students, faculty and staff.

Mahomes says Texas A&M will work on advancing its mission by focusing on its Texas campuses.

Texas A&M at Qatar opened in 2003 to provide education and research in chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering. It’s one of six U.S. universities in Qatar’s Education City. The campus in Qatar is the only branch of Texas A&M located outside the U.S.