US Withdraws Support From Afghan University, Leaving Women Students in Limbo

Laila, a political science major in her mid-twenties, checked her phone during a midnight break to find news that altered her future. The United States has decided to stop funding the American University of Afghanistan, which serves as one of the final academic sanctuaries for women in the country. Her name is changed for safety, and she represents a cohort of roughly 1,000 students, three-quarters of whom are female, now left without a clear path forward.

The journey to this point began when the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Laila was near the end of her degree at a different Kabul institution when the new regime took control. By December 2022, the Taliban had banned women from higher education, leaving her degree unfinished. She secured a scholarship to AUAF and restarted her studies, a chance she notes was not available to every girl in her situation.

Daily life for these students is defined by caution. Since the Taliban seized the campus, Laila attends lectures online from home. Her classmates use aliases and keep their cameras off, and she identifies them only by their voices. The threat is tangible, with peers receiving threatening calls and officials entering homes to search belongings. Laila admits that the fear of being next is always present in the back of her mind.

AUAF was established in 2006 with millions of dollars in US commitment. Former First Lady Laura Bush announced the initiative would train future leaders, particularly women. Patrick Fine, the then-director of the Afghanistan mission at USAID, recalled that many within the agency viewed the project as risky. However, the administration saw it as a way to stabilize the young democracy and build goodwill.

Financial scrutiny later intensified in Washington. Inspectors investigated the university's finances in 2016, and by 2018, they cited poor accounting practices that obscured how aid money was spent. John Sopko, a former federal inspector who oversaw the probe, expressed surprise that funding continued despite these findings. This year, the State Department attributed the decision to a history of repeated lack of accountability for taxpayer dollars.

Fine rejected the official explanation as smear tactics. He acknowledged that audits showed the university struggled with USAID rules but insisted they did not find major fraud. He defended the institution as a worthy investment because it remains one of the few organizations actively reaching Afghan women. The US has long covered nearly 90 percent of the university's costs, though other donors exist.

The State Department noted that the university is free to find other partners, so the end of American funding does not guarantee immediate closure. However, the loss of the $25 million grant leaves the institution's future uncertain. For Laila, the impact is immediate and deep. She feels she has lost all motivation and hope, barely leaving her room since the announcement. She had expected to be studying for a master's degree abroad by now, but now she anticipates a long delay of five to ten years before she can continue.