The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) is Afghanistan’s only private, independent, coeducational institution of higher learning.  Supported by USAID and private donations, AUAF provides an American-style, high-quality academic program to students from throughout Afghanistan.

In spring 2010, AUAF had its largest enrollment since its inception with 531 students.  AUAF expects those numbers to increase for the fall term and to increase again in the spring of 2011, reaching 800 by the end of the academic year.  Student registration is underway and classes began August 22.

A record 21 new faculty members have arrived for the start of the new school year, bringing the total full-time faculty to 49 and maintaining a student/faculty ratio of less than 16 to 1, with small classes and individual attention to students.  AUAF President Dr. C. Michael Smith and Dr. Sharif Fayez, former Minister of Higher Education and a founder of the university, welcomed the new staff.  One new faculty member commented that the process of receiving and orienting new faculty was the best he had seen in ten years of experience working overseas.

To accommodate the new staff members and students, AUAF has opened a new building with 24 faculty offices.  Construction began on June 15 and was completed in record time.  The university took possession of the building on August 15 and faculty moved in the next day.  The current campus now has seven main buildings, in addition to its maintenance shops and transportation offices.  The new faculty members and new facilities support a full range of academic degree programs in business, computer science, and the liberal arts.