Roughly $7.7–$8.8 billion in disclosed gifts and contracts, according to U.S. Department of Education Section 117 data. Qatar is the largest single foreign source of funding to U.S. universities. Key figures •Cumulative total (primarily since the early 2000s, with data through early/mid-2026): Reports based on the Education Department’s foreign funding portal cite about $7.7 billion, while a Congressional Research Service brief (as of February 23, 2026) puts the figure at roughly $8.8 billion. Earlier portal snapshots and analyses listed ~$6.6 billion before later updates. •2025 alone: Over $1.1 billion, making Qatar the top foreign source that year (about 20% of the $5.2+ billion in total reportable foreign gifts and contracts disclosed for 2025). •Total foreign funding to U.S. universities since 1986 (when Section 117 reporting began): Around $67–72 billion across hundreds of institutions. Largest recipients Most of the money goes to universities with branch campuses in Qatar’s Education City (Doha): •Cornell University (Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar): ~$2.3 billion •Carnegie Mellon University: ~$1–2 billion (including a large ~$936 million contract) •Georgetown University: ~$1 billion •Texas A&M University: ~$1 billion •Northwestern University: ~$700–800 million Smaller amounts go to research grants, scholarships, and programs at other schools (via entities like the Qatar National Research Fund). Important context The bulk of this funding supports the operation of the branch campuses in Qatar itself. University spokespeople have stated that 90% or more is spent in Doha on those local operations rather than as unrestricted gifts to the main U.S. campuses. The figures come from required university self-disclosures of foreign gifts/contracts of $250,000 or more (Section 117 of the Higher Education Act). Past investigations by the Education Department found significant underreporting, so the true totals could be higher. Data is publicly available on the Education Department’s foreign funding portal (foreignfundinghighered.gov). These numbers reflect disclosed funding only and do not include smaller gifts below the reporting threshold or any fully undisclosed amounts.