Why study a Bachelor or Master in Afghanistan

Study in Afghanistan

 

 

Studying in a developing country such as Afghanistan, is to study at a place where you can make an impact on a country’s future where you can significantly contribute to its economic growth and play a role in helping Afghanistan reach its democratic goals and political stability.

 

Why should you study in Afghanistan?

Students with an interest and aspiration to become part of change are the ones who should seek an education in Afghanistan. The quality of education at Afghanistan is constantly improving and currently offering a place for both men and women with a chance to study at universities in Afghanistan.

 

Landscapes and Diversity

The country of Afghanistan enjoys a relaxed and beautiful landscape of mountains, they surround the country and are a point of interest for all visitors, in addition to the countries rivers. Despite the country’s history of wars and struggles, the beauty of Afghanistan has remained for all those years. Studying at Afghanistan is a to study at a cultural focused country where diversity is evident around every city in the country.

 

How Much Does it Cost

There are several universities in Afghanistan offering different degrees and options for pursued degrees, one of the advantages of studying at Afghanistan is the relatively low cost where the average annual tuition fees are approximately $1600. Additionally, they award different types of scholarships to international students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living in Afghanistan

 

To live in Afghanistan is an experience not many get to live, the cultural and traditions of this country make it different to any other, even though there have been some modifications. During their everyday life, people of Afghanistan are required to abide by the social customs put in place for example, the way you dress must be modest but the women are not obliged to cover their hair and it is a voluntary thing for them to do. People of Afghanistan can now enjoy things they were not allowed to in the past such as photography, watching the television or playing football. Additionally, girls are now admitted to schools again and allowed to graduate from universities and so life is less strict in Afghanistan nowadays and is continuing to improve.

 

Accommodation

Universities in Afghanistan offer housing options for international students at affordable costs and this is viewed as the safest option and most practical option but another housing as they are a few minutes away from the campus and so going back and forth from campus does not take and the housing such housing options come with additional benefits such as meal options and access to labs. Another accommodation option at Afghanistan is to private rentals but the idea of renting a room at a host family is not common in Afghanistan where families frown upon strangers living under the same roof as themselves and so one must rent the entire apartment. The average cost of renting an apartment in the city centre is around 500 dollars excluding utilities.

 

Other Costs of Living

 

Despite Afghanistan’s poor living conditions when compared to other countries, the cost of living there is not as cheap as one might think. For example, utilities per month for one person have an average of $80; including water, gas and electricity. However, public transportation services are not costly, where a single ticket costs less than one dollar and the average person who commuted to and from work daily pays around $50 per month. Moreover, the cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre would exceed $500 and would be less when looking for rents in rural parts of the country.

Groceries in Afghanistan are quite expensive in when compared with European countries. For example, the average cost of 12 eggs are $12, one kilogram of apples is priced at $8 and a standard bread load is for $10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Universities in Afghanistan

 

The universities in Afghanistan are known to focus on political science and law programs. There are over 60 universities and the majority are located in the country’s capital city Kabul. They offer undergraduate degrees and post graduate degrees as well, there are also housing options available at these universities and non-academic facilities. The overall cost of studying at Afghanistan is regarded as affordable.

 

Degrees Available

 

With the large number of universities available at Afghanistan it comes as no surprise that there are a myriad number of degrees available for undergraduate studies as well as graduate studies. There is a total of 437 study programs available in the country but the most popular disciplines in Afghanistan are law, political science, computer science, business and economics.

 

Top Ranked Universities

 

There are over 60 universities in Afghanistan, the majority are located in the largest city Kabul and the top ranked universities are in Kabul as well. The top five ranked universities in Afghanistan are the following:

 

• The American University of Afghanistan (Kabul)
• Kardan University (Kabul)
• Kabul Univeristy (Kabul)
• Kateb Univeristy (Kabul)
• Heart University (Herat)

 

1. The American University of Afghanistan

 

The country’s top ranked university is located in the city of Kabul, it was founded in 2006 and has around 2000 students studying there. The university received its first institutional accreditation by the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan back in 2018. The university offers graduate and post-graduate studies, has a high acceptance rate of around 50% and one on campus library. All courses at this university are taught in English making it easy for international students to study there with no language barriers.

 

The current undergraduate programs are studied over four years and they offer courses for the following schools; business administration, information technology, computer science, political science and public administration. The university also offers several further facilities to its students such as; housing, financial aid and sports programs.

 

2. Kardan University

 

The Kardan University is the first and largest private university in Afghanistan it is also located in Kabul, this university has been established in 2002 and received its accreditation by the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan in 2004 making it the first accredited university in Afghanistan. This institution has an acceptance rate that varies between 60%-70%, the campus has approximately 3,000 students and provides several undergraduate and post graduate degrees. Their current undergraduate bachelor’s degree programs are offered for the following schools; arts and humanities, law, language and culture and engineering.

 

The university has an available library on campus and the option of financial aid is available and is given to more than 500 currently enrolled students. The university aims to become the lead university, in Afghanistan, and has published articles and journals and has four different journals relating to the different fields of engineering, law, humanities economics and social sciences.

 

3. Kabul University

 

Kabul University was founded in 1932 and is a large public university with over 9,000 enrolled students. Kabul university offers 23 different undergraduate programs, 13 masters programs and two PhD programs. The university is one of the oldest institutions of Afghanistan and aims to expand in the field of scientific researches to reach more sustainable solutions to current world problems. The university’ library serves as the National Library of Afghanistan. International students who wish to study at Kabul university have the option of staying at the university’s available hostel which offers meal services, computer lab and other livelihood services.

 

4. Kateb University

 

The university is a public university established in 2007 and is also found in the capital city of Afghanistan with almost 4,000 attending students. The university of Kateb offers undergraduate studies which fall the five following departments; Economics, computer science, law, politics, medicine and engineering. The fees to attend Kateb university range between $500 to $705, making it a significantly low cost university matched with an acceptance rate of over 50% and housing options attending Kateb university is viewed as quite feasible.

 

5. Heart University

 

Heart university is the fifth highest ranked university and was founded in 1988, this university is not located in the capital city of Afghanistan but rather in Heart which is 13 hours away from Kabul by car. The university offers studies in over 10 different faculties and has several facilities for its students. The university currently has over 15,000 enrolled students and offers study abroad programs which are not offered frequently at Afghanistan universities.

 

 

Examples of other Universities

 

If you are considering studying at Afghanistan, these are the five top ranked universities but you must also consider the following universities Kabul Polytechnic University, Dunya University of Afghanistan and Salam university. These universities rankings follow these five and would be worth considering.

 

Student Visa - Afghanistan

 

In order to attend a university at Afghanistan, a student visa is required. The student visa requirements differ based on the country you are coming from but are simple. The main requirement is for students to be intending on studying at a licensed and authorized university and not unauthorized facilities. The following documents are also required:

• Means of income to support the student while studying
• Proof of enrolment at a university, must be an authorized university
• Proof that the courses have been paid in full; bank transfer for example with the university name
• Intention to return to your country, a flight return ticket for example
• Medical insurance

 

After preparing the previously mentioned documents, you must pay $108 and present them to embassy of Afghanistan in your country. The visa procedures take approximately 10 days to process, all people who receive the Afghanistan visa, regardless of the visa type, are expected to abide by the country’s laws especially the modest clothing laws.

How to apply - Afghanistan

 

The most important thing for you to consider when applying to a university in Afghanistan is to ensure that the courses you want to study or the degree is offered in English.  After ensuring that the courses are offered in English and that the university is licensed, you must make scan and upload the required documents through the university’s application form. The majority of the universities in Afghanistan do not require English proficiency tests, as they find that high school certificate along is enough.

The student affairs office at universities are required to keep you updated about the status of your online application and to guide you through the process if you are experiencing any issues. The acceptance rate at Afghanistan universities are pretty high and so are the chances of finding a place these universities, no essay is required along with your application form but you must check the website of your desired university to ensure that you upload all the correct documents.

Scholarship in Afghanistan

 

Attending university at Afghanistan is considerably low; however, there is always the option of saving money seeing as universities in Afghanistan offer international students who are coming from developing countries financial aids as a means of support to their tuition fees. Students who present official documents with their family’s means of income, are considered for this type of support and it varies depending on each students’ case and the university which you are hoping to attend. The universities also provide merit scholarships to the students who are have an exceptional academic record, merit scholarships in Afghanistan are awarded for the full time you attend the university.