According to the US State Department, the program for Afghan students receiving Fulbright educational scholarships may resume for the following academic year.
The US State Department is considering resuming the Fulbright program for students from Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the department told the media.
“We continue to work toward the safe resumption of the Fulbright program for Afghan students. While conditions on the ground have not changed, we are making plans for the 2023-2024 academic year of the Afghanistan Fulbright program,” the spokesperson said.
For the year 2023–2024, the State Department stated that it does not take new applications from Afghans as the spokesperson said, “For that cohort, we are considering the 2022-2023 semifinalist applicants.”
However, it remains unclear whether Afghans will be eligible to apply for the 2024-2025 academic term.
Following the collapse of the government to the Taliban, the US State Department told the Afghan semifinalists in the program through an email on February that it was unable to run the program due to its inability to ensure a “safe exchange experience.”
Each year, Fulbright scholarships are awarded to over 4,000 international students from various countries.
More than 950 Afghans were awarded Fulbright scholarships between 2003 to 2021, the majority of which were for two-year master’s degree programs.
