US Blocks $25M Grant, Leaving Afghan Women's University Uncertain

The United States has decided to stop funding the American University of Afghanistan, or AUAF, after refusing a $25 million grant. The State Department announced the move on October 23, 2026. This grant had long covered the majority of the university's operating costs. Without it, the institution faces a severe financial gap.

AUAF serves approximately 1,000 students, and about three-quarters of them are women. It is one of the few remaining places where Afghan women can pursue a university degree. The Taliban control the campus physically, but many students continue their education through the university's online program. They attend lectures from home, often using aliases and keeping their cameras off to stay hidden.

Laila, a political science student in her mid-twenties, learned of the funding cut via an email late at night. She has changed her name for safety. Her journey to AUAF began after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. She was studying at another Kabul university at the time and had two exams left when the new regime took over. In December 2022, the Taliban banned women's education, leaving her degree unfinished. A scholarship to AUAF allowed her to start over.

"Not every girl got that opportunity," Laila said. She now lives with constant fear. Some classmates have received threatening calls and messages. Laila worries that Taliban authorities might search her phone and find university emails. She said officials have entered her home several times to look through family belongings. "It's always in the back of my head that maybe tomorrow it's my turn," she said.

The university opened in 2006. Former First Lady Laura Bush announced the US commitment to the project, describing it as a way to train future leaders. Patrick Fine, who was the Afghanistan mission director at USAID at the time, recalled that many inside the agency viewed the project as risky. Some critics called it a waste of money. The Bush administration, however, saw it as a way to stabilize a young democracy and build goodwill for the interim government.

Washington later scrutinized how the money was spent. US inspectors began investigating the university's finances in 2016. By 2018, they reported that poor accounting made it difficult to trace exactly how aid money was used. John Sopko, a former federal inspector who oversaw the probe, told Deutsche Welle, "I was surprised they were still funding AUAF."

The State Department said the recent decision reflects the university's history of a lack of accountability for taxpayer dollars. Fine rejected this explanation as smear tactics. He acknowledged that earlier audits found the university struggling with USAID's complex rules, but he said they did not find major fraud. He called the university a worthy investment because it reaches Afghan women.

The United States has been the primary donor for AUAF. A US report from 2018 showed that American funding covered nearly 90% of the university's bills. The State Department noted that the university is free to find other partners. However, the loss of the $25 million grant leaves the institution's future unclear. Laila, who expected to graduate years ago, now wonders if she will finish her degree in five or ten years.