US rejects funding request for American University of Afghanistan

The U.S. State Department has rejected a $25 million funding request from the American University of Afghanistan for the next two years. The decision means federal funding for the institution will cease at the end of this year.

The State Department cited a history of “repeated lack of accountability for millions of American taxpayer dollars” as the reason for the rejection. While the university faced allegations of financial mismanagement in 2019, interim president David Edwards stated that those issues were addressed and audits have been clean since 2021.

As a condition for remaining open, the university has been told it must partner with the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. However, Edwards noted that the Kyrgyzstan campus does not currently offer remote instruction.

The university serves approximately 980 students, about 75 percent of whom are women, with 90 percent located within Afghanistan. All students currently participate in online learning. Edwards warned that the funding cut threatens one of the few remaining avenues for Afghan women to pursue higher education from within the country.