Afghan Future Fund (AFF) marks a major milestone as this spring’s graduates bring nearly 90% of the first cohort of Qatar Scholarship for Afghans Project (QSAP) students to completion.
This spring, 39 Afghan students are graduating from 15 universities across the United States, an important step forward made possible through QSAP, a partnership between the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Afghan Future Fund (AFF).
They pursued studies across a wide range of fields, from computer science and engineering to economics, public policy and arts; paths that reflect both their individual ambitions and the needs of the communities they hope to serve.
For many, this journey has been deeply transformative, both personally and academically.
“I am grateful for having the opportunity to see the world differently through the lens of spending my four years of college in the US., said Mohammad Reza Afzali, graduating from Economics at Bard College.
“This journey has been incredible in many ways, helping me understand who I am and what I love to do. It opened my eyes to see the world critically, to learn from every failure and setback, to face challenges with confidence, and to pursue what I really want in my life.”
Reflecting on the support that made this journey possible, he added:
“I admire the support of the people around me, and the QSAP program for their belief in and trust in me as a person and student, and for supporting me with the scholarship, which I will use for my well-being as well as that of the society I live in and belong to.”
Out of the 38 students graduating this spring, 25 are women — about 67% of the cohort. This milestone comes as women in Afghanistan continue to be denied access to higher education, with more than 2.2 million girls barred from studying beyond sixth grade.
“I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to graduate from a university in the United States and is grateful to everyone who made this possible,” said Zahra Farahmand, graduating in Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of Maine.
“My dream is to see women in Afghanistan have the same opportunities as men.”
She has applied to graduate school and hopes to begin her master’s degree soon, continuing her path in environmental science.
About QSAP
Launched in 2022, QSAP is one of the largest initiatives of its kind, providing fully funded higher education opportunities to Afghan students whose studies were interrupted. Through partnerships with leading institutions and organizations, QSAP continues to support students not only in accessing education, but in building pathways toward leadership, service and long-term impact.
To date, QSAP has supported more than 450 Afghan students across 60 universities worldwide through its first two cohorts, QSAP 1 and QSAP 2, expanding access to higher education across the United States, Europe and beyond.
With this graduation, approximately 250 QSAP students have now graduated and around 85% of them are already employed.
QSAP Spring 2026 Alumni List