Kabul University is a public university in the Afghan capital, founded in 1932.[1] Wikipedia gives about 22,000 students, while uniRank lists an enrollment band of 9,000 to 9,999, so the size is uncertain.[1][2] In uniRank’s 2026 Afghan university ranking it is number 1 in the country.[3]
We could not confirm a placement in the QS World University Rankings 2027, and we found no published tuition fee or admission requirements on the pages we could read.[4][5] Wikipedia reports that women have been barred from attending since December 2022.[1][6]
Key facts
| Official name | Kabul University (KU); Pashto: د کابل پوهنتون[5] |
| Location | Kart-e-Char, Kabul, Afghanistan (the university’s website gives “Karte Char”)[7] |
| Type | Public university, recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan[2] |
| Founded | 1932 (Wikipedia’s infobox and uniRank; another passage on Wikipedia says 1931)[1] |
| Students | About 22,000 (Wikipedia); 9,000 to 9,999 (uniRank band). The university’s website reports graduates, not total enrollment.[1] |
| Academic staff | 500 to 599 (uniRank band)[2] |
| Faculties | 22 according to the university’s website; Wikipedia lists 16 and says its list needs updating[7] |
| Graduates | 2,308 bachelor’s graduates (December 2024 report); 2,096 (September 2025 report)[7] |
| uniRank 2026 | National rank 1; world rank 8,622[2] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not confirmed[4] |
| Times Higher Education World University Rankings | No Afghan university is in the overall ranking, according to THE’s country page[8] |
| Tuition | Not published on the pages read (uniRank: “not reported”)[2] |
| Language of instruction | Not stated on the pages read; the website is offered in Pashto and Dari[5] |
| Official website | ku.edu.af |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.
About Kabul University
Kabul University was founded in 1932 under King Mohammed Nadir Shah and opened to students a year later, according to Wikipedia. The same page gives 1931 in one passage, and uniRank also says 1932.[1][2] It is a public university in the 3rd District of Kabul, near the Ministry of Higher Education.[1] The university’s own site gives its address as Kart-e-Char, Kabul.[7]
The Wikipedia article lists 16 faculties: Environment Science, Law and Political Sciences, Computer Science, Economics, Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Journalism, Allama Iqbal Faculty of Arts, Language and Literature, Fine Arts, Islamic Studies, Social Science, and Psychology and Educational Science. It flags that list as needing updates (January 2023).[1] The university’s website speaks of 22 faculties in a graduation report and names Mathematics, Agriculture, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Chemistry, Veterinary Medicine, Physics and Pharmacy on its home page.[5][7] We could not reconcile the two counts.
How is Kabul University ranked?
QS 2027: we could not confirm a placement in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026). The 1,001–1,200 band page of the aggregator xuanxiao.org lists 50 institutions, none from Afghanistan, and its country filter does not list Afghanistan. QS itself blocks automated access, so we could not check the full table.[4]
Times Higher Education: THE’s country page for Afghanistan lists 21 Afghan institutions, including Kabul University, without ranking positions, and says no Afghan university is in its overall World University Rankings.[8]
uniRank: the 2026 uniRank ranking of Afghan universities puts Kabul University first in the country.[3] Its institution page gives a world rank of 8,622.[2] uniRank is a web-based directory ranking, not a research ranking. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.
Who can study at Kabul University today?
Wikipedia reports that classes were suspended after the August 2021 change of government and that the university reopened on 26 February 2022, with women attending in the morning and men in the afternoon. In December 2022 the university banned women from attending, in line with national education restrictions. Wikipedia also describes curriculum changes and a compulsory pledge for students (page last edited 19 October 2026).[1]
UN News reported on 19 January 2023 that a ban on young women attending universities, announced in December 2022, affects more than 100,000 students nationwide. The same report says women’s enrollment in higher education had grown from about 5,000 in 2001 to over 100,000.[6] The sources we read do not report that the restriction has been lifted. Before applying, check directly with the university what is currently open to you.
What can you study at Kabul University?
uniRank says degree levels range from pre-bachelor to doctoral but does not list specific programmes; it refers to a separate list on the university’s website.[2] The faculties named in the sources are listed above in the “About” section.[1][7] We found no English-language programme catalogue on the pages we could read.
How much does Kabul University cost?
We could not confirm any tuition fee. The university’s website pages we read contain no fee information, and uniRank marks tuition as “not reported” for local and international students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.[5][2] We list no figure rather than estimate one. Ask the university for current fees and whether any apply to your nationality and programme.
How do you apply to Kabul University?
The pages we read give no admission requirements or application procedure.[5][7] The website lists a general contact address (info@ku.edu.af) and a separate verification address (verification@ku.edu.af).[5] We give no deadlines because they change every year and we found none published.
Which language do you need?
No source we read states the language of instruction. The university’s website is available in Pashto and Dari, and the university’s name is given in Pashto on its site.[5] No language test requirement for admission is published on the pages we read.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Kabul University founded?
Is Kabul University ranked in the QS World University Rankings?
How much is the tuition at Kabul University?
Can women study at Kabul University?
More about studying in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Afghanistan
Sources
[1] Wikipedia: Kabul University (secondary source for history and current status; page last edited 19 Oct 2026)
[2] uniRank: Kabul University (page without a date; third-party directory)
[3] uniRank: Afghan University Ranking 2026 (2026 edition; no publication date given)
[4] xuanxiao.org: QS World University Rankings 2027, page 22 (QS itself blocks automated access) (QS 2027 edition, published 18 Jun 2026; only the 1,001–1,200 band page was read)
[5] Kabul University: official website (page without a date; news items from 2024–2025)
[6] UN News: Afghan girls and women made focus of International Education Day: UNESCO (published 19 Jan 2023)
[7] Kabul University: About (page without a date; reports graduates in December 2024 and September 2025)
[8] Times Higher Education: Study in Afghanistan (page without a date)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.