American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) — operating in exile from Doha, Qatar

Founded 2004 (chartered as American University of Afghanistan, the first private not-for-profit university in Afghanistan; opened 2006 in Kabul); evacuated and relocated to Doha, Qatar in 2021-2022 following the Taliban takeover of Kabul. American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) — the first private not-for-profit university in Afghanistan, chartered 2004 and opened 2006 in Kabul. US-style liberal arts curriculum, English-medium instruction, accredited under the (pre-Taliban) Government of Afghanistan. Famously attacked by the Taliban in August 2016 (15 killed) and again subject to attacks during the 2010s. EVACUATED AND RELOCATED TO DOHA, QATAR after the August 2021 Taliban takeover. CURRENT OPERATIONAL STATUS (as of 2026): AUAF operates in exile from a campus at Education City in Doha, Qatar (hosted by the Qatar Foundation since 2021). Serves ~900 students total: approximately 600 students online from inside Afghanistan (majority of them women — AUAF is the ONLY higher-education institution currently teaching Afghan women academically); ~200 students in-person at the Doha campus. Programmes offered: undergraduate degrees, MBA, pre-college Academy, and Professional Development Institute. Funded by US government (USAID through June 2025), Qatar Fund for Development, Qatar Foundation, and private foundations. Faced funding crisis spring 2025; continued operation in 2026 is funding-dependent. IMPORTANT DISAMBIGUATION: The Taliban have renamed the abandoned Kabul AUAF campus as the 'Afghan International Islamic University' and announced plans to build a new institution there — that is a SEPARATE Taliban-controlled institution and is NOT a continuation of AUAF. The real AUAF continues in Doha. Phone null: collector +93 79 9988000 was the Kabul-era number, now inactive after relocation. Students should contact AUAF via the Doha campus channels via the website.

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