Universities in Afghanistan
Higher Education in Afghanistan
2021 Ranking of Afghan Universities
What are the most popular Universities in Afghanistan? uniRank tries to answer this question by publishing the 2021 Afghan University Ranking of 97 Afghan higher-education institutions meeting the following uniRank selection criteria:
- being chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate Afghan higher education-related organization
- offering at least four-year undergraduate degrees (bachelor degrees) or postgraduate degrees (master or doctoral degrees)
- delivering courses predominantly in a traditional, face-to-face, non-distance education format
2021 Sub-rankings by provinces
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces (Arabic: wilayah) which are further subdivided into districts (Arabic: wuleswali). The vast majority of higher education institutions meeting the uniRank selection criteria are located in the Kabul Province which is situated in the east of the country, hosts Afghanistan's capital Kabul and is the most populated province in Afghanistan. The following uniRank sub-rankings or league tables take into account all provinces which include at least 2 Afghan higher education institutions meeting the uniRank selection criteria.
| Balkh (10) | Helmand (2) |
| Herat (4) | Kabul (57) |
| Kandahar (2) | Khost (2) |
| Nangarhar (3) | Parwan (2) |
Higher Education in Afghanistan
Higher education system in Afghanistan
The Afghan higher education system is centralized and under the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan (MoHE) which was established in 1977 and headquartered in the capital Kabul. MoHE is the government ministry that is responsible for determining the policies and direction of the higher education system in Afghanistan. In particular, it is in charge of regulating, overseeing, planning and developing Afghanistan's institutions of higher education. It is also responsible for the training of teachers, for establishing a national higher education curriculum and for fostering partnerships and cooperation with Universities in foreign countries.
Types of higher education institutions in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan there are 3 types of higher education institutions:
- Universities
- Polytechnics
- Institutes of Education
Access to higher education in Afghanistan
Afghan students access higher education after a total of at least 12 years of primary, middle (Maktabeh Motevaseteh) and secondary school (Doreyeh Aali) studies, from the age of 7 to the age of 18, and after obtaining the Baccaluria which is the official Afghan diploma awarded at the end of the secondary school.
In addition to the Baccaluria requirement, Afghan students must pass, with some exceptions, competitive examinations (Konkur exam) at the national level in order to gain admission to University level studies.
Languages of instruction in Afghanistan
University programs and courses are mainly taught in the Afghan national languages, Dari and Pashto. English or other languages are adopted only by international Universities such as the American University of Afghanistan.
Stages of higher education in Afghanistan
The first stage of University-level higher education can last from 4 to 7 years, depending on the area of study, and leads to the award of the Bachelor's degree.
Once obtained a bachelor's degree, the second stage of University-level higher education generally lasts 2 years, depending on the area of study, and leads to the award of the Master’s degree.
uniRank has not found evidence of the existence of the third stage of University-level higher education, such as Ph.D. or doctorate, in Afghanistan
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Afghan University lists
Other Afghan University lists:
- Oldest Universities in Afghanistan
Find out which Afghan higher education institutions are the most traditional and long established according to uniRank. - A-Z Universities in Afghanistan
Search for Afghan higher education institutions in alphabetical order from A to Z. - Afghan Universities by town
Looking for higher education institutions located in a particular Afghan town or city? This is the right uniRank webpage to start. - Top Public Universities in Afghanistan
Interested in Afghan public higher education institutions with potentially lower tuition fees? Check this uniRank webpage. - Top Private Universities in Afghanistan
Discover which Afghan private higher education institutions are available based on the uniRank selection. - Top Non-Profit Universities in Afghanistan
Interested in Afghan not-for-profit higher education institutions with potentially lower tuition fees? This uniRank webpage can help. - Top For-Profit Universities in Afghanistan
Searching for Afghan for-profit higher education institutions? Check this uniRank list. - Top Afghan Universities on Facebook
Find out which higher education institutions in Afghanistan are the most liked on Facebook according to uniRank. - Top Afghan Universities on Twitter
Discover which Universities in Afghanistan are the most followed on Twitter according to uniRank. - Top Afghan Universities on Instagram
Find out which higher education institutions in Afghanistan are the most followed on Instagram according to uniRank. - Top Afghan Universities on YouTube
Discover which Universities in Afghanistan have the most subscribed channel on YouTube according to uniRank.