Kardan University (Afghanistan)

Kardan University (Pashto: کاردان پوهنتون‎ / Persian: دانشگاه کاردان‎), founded in 2002 in Kabul, Afghanistan is the first privately owned university in Afghanistan. It began its operations in a small classroom with 15 students in a country that was experiencing privatization in higher education for the first time. The institute quickly became one of the largest private higher education institution in the country and was elevated to university status by the Ministry of higher Education. Today the school has over 4,000 students pursuing diploma, undergraduate and graduate programs at its three campuses in Kabul city. The University offers courses in management sciences, information technology, engineering, and social sciences at the undergraduate level, and business administration and international relations at the graduate level. Kardan has produced more than 30,000 graduates across multiple disciplines. In 2012, Kardan University helped begin the Association of Private Universities and Institutes of Higher Education in Afghanistan and served as its elected Chair for two consecutive terms. In 2014, Kardan University was chartered to issue master level programs in business and international relations. In 2015, Kardan University became accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) for its Business Management program, and in 2020, for its MBA program. In 2017, Kardan University was accepted as a member of the Global Business School Network (GBSN).