Qatar University (Arabic: جامعة قطر‎; transliterated: Jami'at Qatar) is a public university in Qatar, located on the northern outskirts of the capital Doha. In 2009 there were 8,221 students, of whom 73% were female. Courses are taught in Arabic (in education, arts and social sciences courses) or English (in natural sciences, engineering and business courses). The university is the only government university in the country. The university currently hosts seven colleges – Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Sharia and Islamic Studies, and a newly instated College of Pharmacy – with a total of almost 8000 students at a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. Additionally, students entering the university are initially placed in a “Foundation Program”, which ensures the acquirement of regionally crucial skills such as math, English, and computer technology.

Qatar University offers the widest range of academic programs in the State of Qatar, most of which are for undergraduates. Many of its academic departments have received or are currently under evaluation for accreditation from leading organizations. In addition to undergraduate academics, QU has a research infrastructure including advanced research labs, an ocean vessel, cutting-edge technical equipment and a large library housing thousands of books, including an invaluable collection of rare manuscripts. The University commonly serves on behalf of the government and private industry to conduct regional research, particularly in areas of the environment and energy technologies. Qatar University has a diverse student body comprising over fifty-two nationalities, the majority of which are Qatari nationals. Women make up approximately 70% of the student population, and are provided their own set of facilities and classrooms. QU has an alumni body of over 30,000 graduates.

Qatar (ⁱ/ˈkɑːtɑr/ or ⁱ/kəˈtɑr/;Arabic: قطر‎ [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ɡɪtˤɑr]), also known as the country or State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island state of Bahrain.

Qatar has been ruled as an absolute monarchy by Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling, it became independent in 1971, and has become one of the region's wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup d'état. The most important positions in Qatar are held by the members of the Al Thani family, or close confidants of the al-Thani family. Beginning in 1992, Qatar has built intimate military ties with the United States, and is now the location of U.S. Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center.