Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) will operate remotely for the rest of the Spring 2026 semester, the school’s dean announced April 1.

GU-Q has operated online since early March, after Iran began striking Qatar in retaliation for the United States and Israel’s joint campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28. GU-Q previously canceled a hybrid plan March 29 following Iran’s threats to target U.S. satellite universities in the region. 

GU-Q Dean Safwan Masri said the campus building will be closed indefinitely and final exams will be administered online in addition to remote instruction, citing the uncertainty of safety in the region.

“After considering the various factors before us, we have concluded that the situation remains too fluid to support a return to in-person operations at this time,” Masri wrote in an email to GU-Q community members. “We have therefore decided that GU-Q will continue to operate online through Thursday, April 23, the last day of classes. The GU-Q building will remain closed and inaccessible until further notice. Final exams will be conducted online.”

Masri said GU-Q will consider creating an “optional hybrid” format, in which faculty and students who remain at the university’s campus in Doha would be able to attend classes in person. 

“If conditions evolve in a way that makes it appropriate to introduce an optional hybrid arrangement from campus at some point, I will let you know,” Masri wrote. “In that case, faculty members in Doha who wish to teach from their classrooms would be able to do so, while preserving online access for students. Faculty may also wish to teach in a hybrid mode from other locations in Doha; we are compiling a list of options we will make available soon.”

According to Masri, GU-Q will make a decision regarding the commencement ceremony, which is scheduled for May 7, by April 16.

Masri said students and faculty still have the option to leave Doha, which the university has helped facilitate and fund, but warned of possible disruptions.

“In the meantime, as some members of the community continue to return to Doha, others should be aware that the voluntary departure program remains in place,” Masri wrote. “Given the continued uncertainty across the region, further travel disruptions cannot be ruled out.”