Afghan Women in Oman on US Scholarships Get Temporary Reprieve Amid Aid Cuts

More than 80 Afghan women studying in Oman under a US-funded scholarship program have received a temporary lifeline after their funding was abruptly terminated last month. The scholarships, part of the Women’s Scholarship Endowment (WSE) under USAID, were impacted by Trump administration’s broad foreign aid cuts, but have now been extended until June 30, 2025, according to a US State Department spokesperson.

“This is great news, and we are very grateful,” one student told the BBC, speaking anonymously for safety reasons. “But I hope there will be a permanent solution.”

The women had fled Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to continue their studies, but the sudden funding freeze left them facing possible deportation back to Afghanistan, where their education and safety are at risk.

Since the Taliban’s return to power nearly four years ago, women have been banned from universities, with the regime enforcing severe restrictions on education, employment, and freedom of movement for women. The students in Oman are pursuing graduate and postgraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)—fields that are inaccessible to women under Taliban rule.

On February 28, the students were informed that their scholarships would be cut off, and they were expected to return to Afghanistan within two weeks, sparking panic and despair.

“We are relieved now, but we are still deeply concerned about our future,” another student told the BBC. “If the scholarship is not renewed, we will be left with no option but to return to Afghanistan, where we cannot study, and our safety could be under threat as well.”

Before the extension, WSE staff said they were urgently looking for alternative funding, calling the situation “dangerous and devastating.” They warned that returning to Afghanistan could expose the women to persecution and forced marriages.

Most of these women, in their 20s, earned scholarships in 2021, just before the Taliban seized power. Initially, they continued studies at Afghan universities until December 2022, when the Taliban banned women’s higher education. After 18 months in limbo, they fled to Pakistan in September 2024, where USAID arranged visas for Oman. They arrived between October and November 2024.

The US government has not confirmed when a final decision on the scholarship program will be made. Meanwhile, the Omani government has not commented on whether it will seek alternative funding for the women if US support ends.

The Taliban continues to claim that its bans on women’s education are aligned with Islamic Sharia, despite widespread international condemnation. Afghan women under Taliban rule describe themselves as “dead bodies moving around”, highlighting the mental and emotional toll of being denied education and basic rights.

This temporary reprieve brings relief, but without a permanent solution, these women’s futures—and safety—remain uncertain.