...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
The decision could put the future of the university at risk and further limit higher-education opportunities for Afghanistan’s women, many of whom can currently access university education inside Afghanistan only through online programs.
The university has about 980 students, with roughly three-quarters women and nearly 90 percent living inside Afghanistan, according to figures cited in the report. All current students study online after the university shifted away from in-person education following the Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...’s return to power in 2021.
David Edwards, the university’s acting president, said continued operations were now closely tied to finding alternative funding and maintaining a partnership with the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. He said the Kyrgyz university does not currently offer a comparable distance-learning program for students inside Afghanistan.
Edwards said the university had become a critical educational option for a generation of Afghans and warned that the loss of U.S. support could leave students, particularly women, with few alternatives. He has travelled to universities in Britannia and Germany in recent months in an effort to secure alternative funding.
The State Department said it would stop funding the university by the end of the year, citing what it described as a repeated lack of accountability over millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds. The department also described the university as a private institution and said the United States remains committed to supporting education for Afghan girls and women through distance-learning programs, while seeking organizations capable of administering such programs.
The funding dispute revives longstanding concerns over financial oversight at the university. U.S. oversight authorities previously identified management and accountability problems involving the heavily U.S.-funded institution. A 2019 SIGAR report said the university had entered an agreement with USAID to address longstanding management and accountability issues identified by oversight agencies.
Edwards, who became acting president in March, said the university had addressed its earlier problems and that its audits since 2021 had been completed without major issues. The university has also reduced its operations amid financial pressure, including staff cuts and a reduction in new student admissions.
The potential closure has caused concern among students who say the university remains one of the few viable avenues for higher education available to Afghan women. Students cited by The New York Times described the institution as essential to their education and future employment prospects, particularly because other online programs can be financially out of reach.
The American University of Afghanistan was established in Kabul in 2006 with the aim of developing a new generation of Afghan leaders. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, foreign staff left the country and some students were relocated abroad, while others remained in Afghanistan and continued their studies remotely.
The university’s Kabul campus was subsequently taken over by the Taliban and renamed the Afghanistan International Islamic University. The fate of the American University of Afghanistan now depends on whether it can secure alternative financial support before its current funding arrangements end.
Related:
American University of Afghanistan: 2025-04-09 US to resume key foreign Aid Programs, Reuters Reports
American University of Afghanistan: 2021-06-19 Kabul arrests dozens of Afghan tribal chiefs over troop surrenders to Taliban
American University of Afghanistan: 2020-04-22 Taliban Seeks Release of Suspect in German Embassy Bombing
American University of Afghanistan: 2025-04-09 US to resume key foreign Aid Programs, Reuters Reports
American University of Afghanistan: 2021-06-19 Kabul arrests dozens of Afghan tribal chiefs over troop surrenders to Taliban
American University of Afghanistan: 2020-04-22 Taliban Seeks Release of Suspect in German Embassy Bombing