Kardan University

What Kardan University does

Kardan University, founded in 2002 in Kabul as Kardan Institute, is Afghanistan's largest and top-ranked private university. It operates two campuses in Kabul (Parwan-e-Du and Taimani Sabiqa Square) and offers undergraduate Bachelor's programs (Business Administration, Economics, Information Technology, Civil Engineering, Political Science, Journalism, Law, Data Science) alongside graduate Master's programs (MBA, MS Data Science, International Relations, International Law, Corporate Law, Construction Engineering Management). Enrolment stood at 1,873 students in 2025, recovering from a 2021 low of 937 caused by political upheaval, with 30,000+ alumni historically produced.

The university's underlying technology stack is modest: a Library Management System with digital cataloguing of 20,000+ printed books, JSTOR digital library access, and a Turnitin plagiarism-checker subscription. It also operates six ISSN-registered academic journals and a recurring international research conference (ICAMR). Core assets are institutional rather than technological: accreditations from the Ministry of Higher Education, IACBE (first in Afghanistan, 2015), and ACBSP; memberships in GBSN, APQN, AACSB (candidate), and SDSN; plus a Times Higher Education Impact Rankings appearance (601+ globally, 2021).

Revenue is generated almost entirely through tuition and fees, with scholarships and financial assistance offered across merit, athletic, extracurricular, and need-based categories. Supplementary income includes sponsored research with a 25% institutional overhead on grants and travel/article-processing grants for faculty. Go-to-market relies on direct in-person admissions at the Taimani campus, supplemented by community-led student involvement (13+ clubs) and event-driven channels such as an annual job fair. The institution is privately held, founded and led by Roeen Rahmani, with a wholly-owned subsidiary, Kardan School of Excellence, covering primary and secondary education.

Name

Kardan University

Legal name

Kardan University

Website

https://kardan.edu.af

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kardan University is Afghanistan's largest private university, founded in 2002, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, engineering, law, and data science across two Kabul campuses. It serves Afghan students with a 30,000+ alumni network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• University accreditation
• Business education

Headquarters

HQ city

Kabul

HQ country

Afghanistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and graduate program tuition fees. Programs include Bachelor of Business Administration, Economics, Information Technology, Civil Engineering, Political Science, Journalism, Law, Data Science, and Master's programs in Business Administration, Data Science, International Relations, International Law, Corporate Law, and Construction Engineering Management.
2. Scholarships and Financial Assistance: University offers merit-based scholarships, athletic scholarships, extracurricular activity scholarships, and Equal Opportunity Scholarships. Financial assistance provided as tuition fee reductions, valid for one semester per award.
3. Research and Grant Funding: University Scholarly Communication Grant (USCG) supports article processing charges for publishing in Thomson Reuters or Scopus indexed journals. Travel grants for conference attendance. Principal investigators receive 25% overhead charges from sponsored research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kardan University is Afghanistan's leading private higher education institution delivering accredited undergraduate Bachelor's programs and graduate Master's programs across business, economics, engineering, law, journalism, political science, and data science. The university supplements academic instruction with student support services including a Student Success Center, Career Services with annual job fairs, Alumni Relations serving 30,000+ graduates, a Library with JSTOR access, scholarships, and a Faculty Development Center. Research capabilities are supported through a dedicated Department of Research & Development, multiple ISSN-registered academic journals, and a Research Society.

Product overview

Kardan University is Afghanistan's leading private university offering a comprehensive higher education ecosystem. The core academic offerings consist of undergraduate Bachelor's programs (Business Administration, Economics, Information Technology, Civil Engineering, Political Science, Journalism, Law, Data Science) and graduate Master's programs (MBA, Data Science, International Relations, International Law, Corporate Law, Construction Engineering Management). Student support services include the Student Success Center, Career Services with job fair programs, Alumni Relations serving 30,000+ graduates, and Scholarships. Research capabilities are supported through the Department of Research & Development, Kardan Journals (KJEMS, KJSSH, KJET, KJL), and Research Society. The university holds prestigious accreditations including IACBE, ACBSP, and MoHE national accreditation, and is ranked by Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for sustainable development contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% graduate employment rate per impact assessment 2014-2018
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Carleton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Signed Memorandum of Understanding for academic collaboration, student exchanges, and research partnerships with the Canadian university.
• Ministry of Industry and CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Signed MoU to extend cooperation and advance sustainable development goals, collaborating on industry partnerships and workforce development.
• Ministry of Economy Advisory BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Appointed as member of Advisory Board on Economic Analysis, contributing to national economic policy development.
• Times Higher Education (THE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020THE recognized Kardan University in Impact Rankings 2021 and 2022 for efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The university was ranked among world's leading universities for sustainable development.
• Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Kardan University became member of SDSN and signatory to PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education), participating in SDSN Afghanistan Leadership Council to advance SDGs.
• International Sustainable Campus NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Member of International Sustainable Campus Network, collaborating with global institutions to promote sustainability in campus operations and education.
• Turkish Universities PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Manager for International Affairs signed partnership agreements with three Turkish universities for academic collaboration and exchange programs.
• ERASMUS+ Program PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Representatives attended Erasmus+ Program activities in Opole, Poland, for international education collaboration and staff development.
• CAREC Regional PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Participated in CAREC Regional Workshop in Bishkek, engaging in Central Asian regional cooperation on education and development.
• Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Accepted as candidate for accreditation by ACBSP, demonstrating commitment to meeting international business education standards. The accreditation reflects continuous commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
• Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Only university from Afghanistan to be granted full membership in APQN, demonstrating leadership in higher education quality assurance across the Asia-Pacific region.
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Accepted as candidate for AACSB accreditation, the world's oldest and most respected business school accreditation organization, demonstrating aspiration for global business education standards.
• Global Business School Network (GBSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017First institution in Afghanistan to be accepted as member of GBSN, the prestigious global network advancing business education through collaboration and knowledge sharing among business schools worldwide.
• Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Main regulatory partner for national accreditation, degree authorization, and higher education policy compliance. Kardan University completed all stages of candidacy with MoHE.
• International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015IACBE awarded first-time accreditation to Kardan University for its business and management programs, making it the first Afghan university to achieve this international accreditation. The university maintains IACBE accreditation as part of its quality assurance framework.
• Association of Private Universities in AfghanistancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Kardan University led the establishment of Afghanistan's first association of private universities with initial membership of 40 national private institutions. Subsequently elected as Chair.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rana University: Private university in Kabul operating in the same domestic higher-education market with similar undergraduate and graduate offerings, competing for the same pool of Kankor exam passers.
• American University of Afghanistan: Another leading private university in Afghanistan offering undergraduate and graduate programs to a similar domestic student base. Kardan and AUAF are the two flagship private higher-education brands competing for the same Afghan talent pool.
• Gawharshad University: Private Afghan university with overlapping program portfolio in business, economics, and social sciences, targeting the same domestic undergraduate and graduate market.
• Dunya University: Private university in Afghanistan offering business and technology-focused programs with similar tuition-driven economics and target student population.
• Bakhtar University: Private Afghan university offering undergraduate programs across business, IT, and social sciences, serving the same domestic demand pool as Kardan.
• Kateb University: Private university in Kabul offering business and technology programs to the same domestic student segment. Competes directly with Kardan for tuition-paying Afghan undergraduates.

Broad incumbents

• Kabul University: Afghanistan's largest and oldest public university, the dominant incumbent across most disciplines Kardan operates in. Sets the benchmark for faculty, research output, and national accreditation standards that Kardan's programs must compete against.

Regional players

• University of Central Asia: Private, internationally-supported university operating across Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan with a similar mission of delivering internationally accredited higher education in a developing region — a useful regional benchmark for Kardan's internationalization strategy.
• American University of Central Asia: Private, US-style liberal arts university in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with a comparable Western-model private university positioning in a post-Soviet transitional market — analogous to Kardan's role in Afghanistan's private higher-education sector.

Emerging players

• Aga Khan University: International private university with presence in multiple developing countries including Pakistan and East Africa. Comparable as a mission-driven private institution delivering internationally accredited graduate programs in emerging markets, and a potential partner/competitor for cross-border Afghan students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/kardan-university

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kardan University