The American University of Central Asia is accepting applications for the 2020 - 2025 academic cycle from interested applicants for the Afghan Scholarship Program, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. 29 accepted applicants of the scholarship program will receive full funding to cover the costs of 4 years of an undergraduate degree and, a preparatory English program in AUCA, yearly round trip travel to Afghanistan, basic medical care, housing, and meals stipend.

Eligibility Criteria

The Afghan Students Scholarship Program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national, ethnic origin, or disability. Competition is merit-based and open to anyone who is:

●  A citizen/resident of Afghanistan at the time of application & during the selection process.

●  The recipient of a high school diploma by the time of application.

●  College or university students are also eligible.

●  Proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application.

●  Able to demonstrate academic excellence, professional aptitude, and leadership potential.

●  High school students who have not graduated yet.

●  U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States.

●  Spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States.

●  Individuals currently residing or working outside Afghanistan.

●  Employees, officers, or directors of the Afghan Students Scholarship Program from ANGO, American University of Central Asia (faculty or staff), US Embassy in Kabul: their spouse, children, sibling, or a person in a committed relationship with an employee.

● Current and past recipients of U.S. Embassy funded scholarships CANNOT apply. For example, if a person is a current/past U.S. Embassy AUAF, AUB, or AUI scholar or PROMOTE scholar, the candidate is ineligible for the Afghan Students Scholarship Program at AUCA.

Important Note: The application form will take 16 minutes to complete. Please have all your documents and answers available with you before filling the application. The application form will not be saved. All candidate applications must be completed in full and submitted in a single session to be considered for the scholarship. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.

You should have the following things ready:

Important Note

A) AUCA reserves the right to suspend any applicant if it was found that the documents including high school diplomas were forged or illegally obtained. You, as the applicant, have the sole responsibility to provide authentic and valid documents to AUCA.

B) Applicants who don’t have their school diploma can submit their approved and certified three-year high school grades from their respective school administration and the Provincial Education Department.

Note: should an applicant be selected as a finalist, one should be ready to provide originals of one's documents (passport, school diploma, and transcript, Tazkira) to the committee for the registration, visa, and associated processes.

For information in Dari and Pashto please visit www.ango.af/aucascholarship and reach out to us through the following options: 

Contact number: (+93) 0777 714 986 

email address: scholarshipauca@ango.af 

Frequently Asked Questions

Benefits

Q: What does AUCA offer to its students?

A: At AUCA you may find a lot of opportunities and additional services, among those:

DORMITORY

Q: Are there certain floors specifically for women? How is security for women? (#1 Question from parents)

A: Female students can request to live in the upper floors of the dorm, specifically designated for women, and those will be offered if there are places. The dormitory is protected by several 24/7 security guards, and video cameras on each floor. Resident Assistants reside on each living floor and help students with unexpected issues. In general, security for women in the dorm is not an issue, but all dormitory residents must return to the dormitory before midnight, 00:00. Residing in the Dormitory for the first academic year is a requirement for the students on this scholarship program.

STIPEND

Q: How much do I receive for meals? Do girls eat in cafeterias or are they on their own?

A: Stipends are approximately $200 per month, and students are responsible for buying their own food, clothing and other supplies. AUCA offers a canteen and three coffee shops on Campus. There are plenty of groceries, a market and several cafés in proximity to Campus. Residents can also use the cooking area at the dormitory to prepare their own meals, and there is a refrigerator on each floor in which they can keep their food.

Q: Is my housing covered?
A: Yes, for the first year the student’s residency in the Dormitory is fully covered, for the second year and further, students receive additional allowance for renting apartments.

Q: What else is covered by the scholarship?

A: In addition to meal and housing allowances, the following expenses are covered by the Program: full tuition for the duration of the program, a limited medical insurance, annual round trip to home country (Afghanistan only), Kyrgyz visa and registration (does not apply on dependents).

EXAM

Q: What does it cover? How long does it take?

A: Students will have to pass three tests. The paper-based ELPT exam will last 80 minutes and consists of section 1: Structure and Written Expression and section 2: Reading Comprehension. The essay will take an additional 30 minutes to write. The interview will be testing spoken language skills and will last 15 minutes. Chosen semi finalists will be invited to the last stage of the selection process - final interview.

GENDER

Q: In the application it is mentioned that the program is focusing on female students. Can male candidates apply?

A: Male candidates who are alumni of certain USG programs may complete the application form, but female candidates will be given priority. Please note that only USG program alumni male applicants are eligible. USG programs refers to: YES, LEAP, and ACCESS.