The Afghan Student Alliance (ASA) at Columbia University is a student-led organization dedicated to uplifting Afghan voices—especially Afghan women—through education, advocacy, and community-building. We aim to celebrate Afghan heritage and culture while introducing Afghanistan and its people to the broader Columbia and New York City community, creating space for representation and connection.

The Afghan Student Alliance (ASA) at Columbia University runs a mentorship program dedicated to supporting Afghan students, especially Afghan girls, whose education has been disrupted by the Taliban’s ban on education for women and girls. Through this program, Columbia students mentor Afghan students living both inside Afghanistan and across the diaspora as they navigate the college application process. We help with everything, from identifying universities, assisting with personal statements, helping with resume preparation, to understanding application systems that are often unfamiliar and inaccessible.

For many of these students, financial barriers are the biggest obstacle. Because of ongoing restrictions, including U.S. travel bans and visa limitations, many Afghan students are unable to apply to colleges in the United States. Instead, they are applying to universities in Canada, Europe, and Australia, where application fees are often high and non-waivable, especially for international applicants. For students already facing displacement, economic instability, and systemic barriers to education, these fees can be the difference between applying or giving up entirely.

Currently, our mentorship program is supporting 18 Afghan students as they apply to universities in Canada, where application fees present a significant and unavoidable barrier. For international applicants, applying to Canadian universities requires a non-waivable fee of $150, which allows a student to apply to up to three universities. If a student wishes to apply to additional schools, an additional $50 is required. For the 18 students in our program, covering the initial $150 application fee alone totals $2,700. Our goal is to raise this amount so that each student has a fair chance to apply to multiple universities without financial constraints standing in their way.

This GoFundMe was created to directly cover college application fees for Afghan students in our mentorship program. Every dollar raised will go directly towards application fees they would otherwise be unable to afford. Education has long been one of the few paths to safety, stability, and self-determination for Afghan girls. At a time when their right to learn has been stripped away, we believe access to higher education shouldn't depend on whether someone can afford an application fee. Your support helps turn mentorship into opportunity and hope into action.

Thank you for standing with Afghan students and believing in their futures.

To learn more about our students’ journeys and the stories behind this initiative, follow us on Instagram at @columbia.afghans.