Cultural Training for University Faculty and Student-Affairs Staff Supporting Afghan Students and Scholars

Training for faculty, international student and scholar services, residence life, counseling and advising teams who support Afghan students and scholars. Delivered on campus or online by Afghan scholars who studied at Cornell, Brown, the University of Chicago and the University of British Columbia, with Pashto and Dari expertise.

Reviewed by the Cultural Compliance Bureau · Updated October 2026 · Reviewed each term

Around one table

10 modules · 11 role tracks · 24 Afghan languages

Faculty
Teaching assistants
International office
Deans of students
Residence life
Counseling
Admissions and registrar
Advising and career
Title IX and safety
Research hosts
Leadership
Afghan scholar co-facilitator

Gold: your offices

Black: Ariana Nexus co-facilitator

The brief

What this training is

Ariana Nexus provides cultural training for university faculty and student-affairs staff who teach, advise and support Afghan students and scholars. Each program covers Afghan culture and languages, classroom communication, academic integrity, trauma-informed and strengths-based support, safety and privacy, status and documents, and language access, tailored to each role on campus and to your institution's policies.

Who it is for: Faculty and teaching assistants, international student and scholar services, deans of students, residence life, counseling and health services, advising, admissions and leadership
Formats: 90-minute executive briefing, 3-hour faculty workshop, 1-day student-affairs intensive, term-long role tracks, LMS e-learning and train-the-trainer
Where: On campus in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., live online or blended; Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe, and Australia by engagement
Languages: English sessions with Pashto and Dari expertise; materials in 24 Afghan languages and 13 international languages
Measured: Pre- and post-assessment, completion records and a report for leadership
Aligned to: SAMHSA's trauma-informed principles, ACPA/NASPA and NAFSA competencies and UDL 3.0; supports Title VI, Title IX and FERPA practice
Start: First session typically four to six weeks after a scoping call

Three colleagues discuss printed charts and notes around a meeting table. — Program design sessions are led by senior partners with Afghan scholar co-facilitators.

The need

What has changed for Afghan students since 2021

Much of the guidance campuses still use was written in the fall of 2021. Since then, Afghan women have been barred from university, the United States has suspended most new visas for Afghan nationals, and many Afghan students now enroll through routes that never reach the international office.

712
Afghan international students in the U.S. in 2024/25, double the 354 of 2020/21. The count covers student and exchange visas only: evacuees, Special Immigrant Visa holders, refugees and asylees enroll as domestic students and do not appear in it.
Source: IIE Open Doors, Afghanistan fact sheet 2025
2.4 million
Afghan girls barred from secondary school, 200,000 more than a year earlier. UNESCO projects the number could approach 4 million by 2030.
Source: UNESCO figures reported by Al Jazeera, August 11, 2026
100,000+
women enrolled at Afghan universities when the ban on women's higher education was announced in December 2022.
Source: UN News, UNESCO on the university ban, January 2023
59,000+
Afghans welcomed by Canada since August 2021; special resettlement measures ended March 31, 2025.
Source: IRCC Question Period Note IRCC-2025-QP-00032

Exhibit 1

Afghan international students in the U.S., 2017/18 to 2024/25

Student and exchange visas only. 67.3% study at doctoral universities. Gold marks 2024/25.

Source: IIE Open Doors, Afghanistan fact sheet 2025

476
2017/18
418
2018/19
422
2019/20
354
2020/21
420
2021/22
682
2022/23
702
2023/24
712
2024/25

Dated changes, August 2021 to August 2026

Aug 2021
The Taliban return to power. Tens of thousands of Afghans are evacuated, many of them students, scholars and their families.
Dec 2022
Women are barred from Afghan universities. More than 100,000 were enrolled when the ban was announced.
Source: UN News, UNESCO on the university ban, January 2023
Mar 2025
Canada's special Afghan resettlement measures end, after more than 59,000 Afghans were welcomed since August 2021.
Source: IRCC Question Period Note IRCC-2025-QP-00032
Jun 2025
A U.S. presidential proclamation restricts entry for Afghan nationals.
Source: Brown University Office of Global Engagement, USCIS processing hold
Dec 2025
USCIS places holds on benefit applications from nationals of listed countries, including Afghanistan, delaying work authorization and status decisions.
Source: Brown University Office of Global Engagement, USCIS processing hold
Jan 2026
An expanded proclamation takes effect: entry on student and exchange visas stays suspended for Afghan nationals outside the U.S. without a valid visa.
Source: University of Washington ISS, entry restrictions effective January 1, 2026
Apr 2026
The Justice Department moves the ADA Title II web accessibility date for large public entities to April 27, 2027.
Source: Federal Register 2026-07663, ADA Title II compliance date extension
Jun 2026
A federal court vacates the USCIS processing pause; the administration plans to appeal.
Source: Brown University Office of Global Engagement, USCIS processing hold
Aug 2026
UNESCO reports 2.4 million Afghan girls barred from secondary school, a figure that could approach 4 million by 2030.
Source: UNESCO figures reported by Al Jazeera, August 11, 2026

Dates as of October 2026. The program is re-reviewed each term. Much of the guidance still in use dates from the October 2021 ACE, IIE and APLU resource kit.

Afghan students rarely file complaints. They stop coming to office hours, drop a course or leave, and the institution learns why only afterward, if at all.

Around the table

Training for every office an Afghan student passes through

Each role receives its own track. Modules marked core are required for that role.

Seat 01

Faculty and teaching assistants

Seminars, grading, advising, academic integrity and office hours.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Faculty workshop, then LMS e-learning for those who miss it

Seat 02

International student and scholar services

Designated school officials, responsible officers and advisers: status, documents, travel and safety.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Student-affairs intensive, with case consultation through the term

Seat 03

Deans of students and student affairs

Case management, conduct, emergency aid and belonging.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Student-affairs intensive, then a term-long role track

Seat 04

Residence life and housing

Professional staff and resident assistants: roommates, breaks, food and faith.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Orientation modules inside resident assistant training

Seat 05

Counseling and health services

Clinicians and health staff, using the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Role track with case consultation between sessions

Seat 06

Admissions, registrar and credential evaluation

Applications, Afghan documents, missing records and recruitment.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Two-session role track and reference materials

Seat 07

Advising, career services and financial aid

Degree plans, work authorization questions, scholarships and money.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Faculty workshop format, adapted for advisers

Seat 08

Departments hosting at-risk scholars

Chairs, principal investigators and research offices hosting Afghan scholars and researchers.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Role track for hosting departments

Seat 09

Title IX, civil rights and campus safety

Reporting, investigations, support measures and campus police.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Role track with case consultation

Seat 10

Community colleges and English language programs

Adult learners, Afghan evacuees, intensive English programs and transfer pathways.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Faculty workshop and student companion sessions

Seat 11

Presidents, provosts and deans

A 90-minute briefing on obligations, risks and decisions for this term.

Core modules

Also recommended

Recommended format

Executive briefing with a written action memo

The conversation

Ten modules, assigned by role

Every participant takes the modules their role needs. Each module runs 30 to 75 minutes and is reviewed each term.

Module 1: Afghanistan, the Afghan diaspora and the pathways to your campus
Four decades of war, including the 20-year Afghan war that ended in August 2021; the Taliban's return and the bans on women's and girls' education; the regions, ethnic groups and 24 languages of the Afghan people; and the routes students take: student and exchange visas, evacuation and parole, Special Immigrant Visas, refugee resettlement and asylum.
60 minutes
Module 2: Communication, respect and classroom expectations
The professor as ustad, indirect communication, the “yes” that means “I heard you,” silence, names and forms of address, and mixed-gender norms in seminars, group work and office hours.
60 minutes
Module 3: Academic integrity, writing and assessment
Memorization-based schooling and the Kankor exam, citation and collaboration norms, English as a third or fourth language, and how to teach expectations before the first assignment.
45 minutes
Module 4: Trauma-informed and strengths-based support
Grief, family separation, survivor guilt and moral injury (sometimes called moral trauma); how distress shows up; SAMHSA's six principles; warm referrals to counseling; and staff wellbeing. Students are treated as scholars with strengths, not as victims.
75 minutes
Module 5: Afghan women in higher education
What the bans mean for students and their families, safety and family expectations, Title IX reporting and support, and how to avoid the rescue narrative.
45 minutes
Module 6: Safety, privacy and digital security
Relatives in Afghanistan, publicity and news stories, FERPA directory-information opt-outs, social media and messaging apps, online harassment and media requests.
45 minutes
Module 7: Status, documents and money
What staff can and cannot say about visas, parole, asylum and travel restrictions; when to refer to designated school officials and immigration counsel; tazkira and Solar Hijri dates; missing transcripts; banking and remittances.
60 minutes
Module 8: Faith, food and the academic calendar
Ramadan and exams, Eid, Nowruz, prayer, halal dining and housing over breaks: accommodations without assumptions, for observant and secular students alike.
30 minutes
Module 9: Language access and AI translation tools
Pashto and Dari for family meetings, interpreters versus bilingual students, and what machine translation and AI chatbots get wrong in Afghan languages, including student privacy.
45 minutes
Module 10: Campus climate, Title VI and belonging
National-origin and religious harassment, bystander steps, Afghan student associations, peer mentors and alumni networks.
45 minutes

Each gold mark is 15 minutes of session time.

What staff misread

Eight signals faculty and staff misread

A sample from the program. Each signal is a possibility, not a rule.

Discussion prompt

Silence in seminar

What it often means

Respect for the teacher, the ustad, and for older classmates. Open disagreement with a professor can feel disrespectful.

What to do

Invite written or paired contributions first, and say plainly that questions and disagreement earn credit.

Discussion prompt

“Yes, I understand.”

What it often means

Politeness that means “I heard you,” not “I can do this.”

What to do

Ask the student to restate the next step, and confirm it in writing.

Discussion prompt

No one comes to office hours

What it often means

Asking for help can feel like a burden or a loss of face, and office hours may be an unfamiliar idea.

What to do

Name office hours as part of the course, invite students one by one, and keep the door open.

Discussion prompt

Memorized passages and citation gaps

What it often means

Schooling and the Kankor entrance exam rewarded memorization, and citation conventions may be new.

What to do

Teach integrity rules with examples before the first assignment, and refer early to the writing center.

Discussion prompt

Missed deadlines after news from home

What it often means

Family in Afghanistan facing danger, poverty or disaster, and obligations to send money home.

What to do

Know your emergency-aid and extension routes, and check in privately.

Discussion prompt

Declining a photo or a news story

What it often means

A safety decision: publicity can put relatives in Afghanistan at risk.

What to do

Never publish a name or photo without specific, informed consent. Offer anonymity by default.

Discussion prompt

Turning down a counseling referral

What it often means

Stigma, unfamiliar services, and distress that shows up as headaches or poor sleep.

What to do

Make a warm hand-off to a counselor who knows the context, with an interpreter if needed.

Discussion prompt

Different dates and spellings on documents

What it often means

The Solar Hijri calendar, January 1 used as a default birthday, and several spellings of one name.

What to do

Treat inconsistencies as conversion questions, not fraud signals, and follow registrar guidance.

Afghan students differ by region, language, ethnicity, faith, family and class. The training teaches staff to ask, not assume.

Engagements

Three ways institutions start

Programs are scoped and priced per engagement after a scoping call. You receive a written proposal with learning outcomes, formats, timeline and fees before any commitment.

Engagement

Briefing

Leadership teams deciding what to do this term.

90-minute executive briefing
Written action memo
Readiness questions for each office

Recommended starting point

Program

Institutions enrolling or hosting Afghan students now.

Campus readiness review
Faculty workshop and student-affairs intensive
LMS e-learning modules
Pre- and post-assessment
Report for leadership

Engagement

Capability

Systems, consortia and institutions with growing Afghan enrollment.

Everything in Program
Term-long role tracks
Train-the-trainer and licensed materials
Twelve months of advisory and crisis briefings

Formats

Formats that fit the academic calendar

Every format runs on campus, live online or blended, and can be timed for new-faculty orientation, resident assistant training, professional development days or the start of term.

Executive briefing: 90 minutes · Leadership team; Obligations, risks and the decisions to make this term, with a written action memo.
Faculty workshop: 3 hours · Up to 40; Classroom communication, advising and academic integrity, with scenarios from your disciplines.
Student-affairs intensive: 1 day · Up to 30; Scenario-based day for international offices, residence life, counseling and deans of students.
Role tracks: 4 to 6 sessions · By role; Term-long tracks of 90-minute sessions, with case consultation between sessions.
LMS e-learning: Six 15-minute modules · Any size; SCORM and xAPI packages for Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace and Moodle, captioned and WCAG 2.1 AA.
Train-the-trainer: 2 days · Up to 12; Prepares your teaching center or international office to run the program, with a facilitator guide and licensed materials.
Orientation modules: 30 to 60 minutes · Any size; Short modules embedded in new-faculty orientation, resident assistant training and staff onboarding.
Campus readiness review: 2 to 3 weeks · Institution; Interviews, policy and web review, a baseline survey and a written gap report.
Case consultation and advisory: On call · Named staff; Advice on de-identified student situations, and briefings within 48 hours when events in Afghanistan affect your students.
Student companion sessions: 90 minutes · Afghan students; Orientation for Afghan students on academic expectations, integrity and campus services, in Pashto, Dari and English.
Conference sessions and keynotes: 45 to 90 minutes · Audience; Sessions for NAFSA, NASPA, ACPA, CBIE, EAIE and IEAA audiences and system-wide convenings.
Reference materials: Print and digital · Every participant; Quick-reference cards, posters and translated welcome letters for families.

Learning outcomes

What participants can do afterward

LO 1
Explain the pathways that bring Afghan students and scholars to campus, and the documents, status and safety questions each one carries.
LO 2
Recognize classroom and advising signals that are commonly misread, and respond in ways that build trust.
LO 3
Teach academic-integrity and writing expectations explicitly, before the first assignment.
LO 4
Respond to distress with trauma-informed, strengths-based steps, and make a warm referral to counseling.
LO 5
Protect student privacy and safety in publicity, records and communications.
LO 6
Know what they can and cannot say about visas, travel and status, and where to refer.
LO 7
Arrange interpreters, and use AI translation tools safely, in Pashto, Dari and other Afghan languages.
LO 8
Apply institutional policy on religious observance, Title VI and Title IX with confidence.

Deliverables

What your institution receives

A program mapped to your roles, policies and student population
Facilitator-led sessions with Afghan scholar co-facilitators
Participant workbook and quick-reference cards, in print and accessible PDF
LMS package (SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 or xAPI) with captions and transcripts
Pre- and post-assessment with completion records for every participant
A report for leadership: results, gaps and recommendations
A facilitator guide and licensed materials for internal reuse
Ninety days of follow-up office hours for participants

How we deliver

How a program runs, from scoping call to the next term

Step 01
Scoping call
30 minutes
A senior partner learns about your students, roles, policies and calendar. A written proposal with learning outcomes follows within five business days.
Step 02
Readiness review
2 to 3 weeks
Interviews with staff and, with consent, Afghan students; a review of policies, web pages and materials; a baseline assessment.
Step 03
Design
1 to 2 weeks
Modules mapped to each role, scenarios drawn from your campus and de-identified, and every module reviewed by the Cultural Compliance Bureau.
Step 04
Delivery
On your calendar
Sessions on campus or online, role tracks and LMS modules, co-facilitated by Afghan scholars.
Step 05
Measurement
60 to 90 days
Post-assessment, a follow-up on practice and a report to leadership.
Step 06
Sustain
Each term
Train-the-trainer, an annual refresh before orientation, and briefings when events in Afghanistan affect your students.

Measurement

Results measured on all four Kirkpatrick levels

You receive evidence, not a sign-in sheet. No student is ever identified in any report.

Level 1
Reaction
Relevance and confidence ratings from every participant.
Level 2
Learning
Pre- and post-assessment of knowledge and confidence, by module.
Level 3
Behavior
A 60-to-90-day follow-up on practice: outreach, referrals and consent before publicity.
Level 4
Results
Indicators you choose, such as retention, early-alert response and referral uptake.

Why Ariana Nexus

There is no national standard for supporting Afghan students. We built one.

No accredited curriculum prepares faculty and staff for Afghan students and scholars. Ariana Nexus built its program on frameworks your institution already reports against, including SAMHSA's trauma-informed principles, the ACPA/NASPA competencies, NAFSA's professional competencies and UDL 3.0, and on the experience of a team from the Afghan community who studied at universities in the United States, Canada and Germany. Where no U.S. certification exists for Afghan-language interpreters, we train those too.

Taught by Afghan scholars

Every facilitator is from the Afghan community and studied at Cornell, Brown, the University of Chicago, the University of British Columbia or Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. They were the students your faculty teach.

Current, not 2021

Modules are re-reviewed each term for the education bans, visa and status changes and events in Afghanistan, and every module carries its review date.

In the student pipeline

Through Ariana Nexus Academy, the same team mentors Afghan students applying to universities worldwide, so the training reflects what students face this year.

Every Afghan language

Pashto, Dari and 22 more. Staff learn which language a student actually speaks, rather than assuming Farsi.

Reviewed for bias and safety

The Cultural Compliance Bureau checks every module for accuracy, stereotypes, safety and bias. The framing is strengths-based, never deficit-based.

Safety by design

No identifying student details in any material, student voice only with consent, and nothing routed through channels controlled by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.

Measured

Pre- and post-assessment, a practice follow-up and a report for leadership on every program.

One point of accountability

Every part is produced by our own team, never another firm's: one engagement, one senior partner, one point of accountability.

Ariana Nexus Academy

Through Ariana Nexus Academy, the same team mentors Afghan students applying to universities worldwide. Mentees have been admitted to:

Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Cornell
Dartmouth
the University of Chicago
Johns Hopkins
Duke
NYU
Arizona State
Utah Tech
the University of British Columbia
Saarland University

and many other universities. About Ariana Nexus Academy

Frameworks the program aligns to

SAMHSA trauma-informed approach
ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies
NAFSA International Education Professional Competencies
CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0
DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview
Kirkpatrick four levels
Title VI
Title IX
FERPA
WCAG 2.1 AA
GDPR and UK GDPR

Who delivers it

The team behind the training

Your faculty and staff are trained by Afghan scholars, not by generalists and not by bilinguals. Every member of the team is from the Afghan community and studied at the universities on their card; several now mentor Afghan students applying to those same universities.

Program oversight

Hassan Ukasha

Managing Partner

, Ariana Nexus

B.S.
Cornell University
M.P.H.
Cornell University

Oversees the firm's operations and this program. Grew up in Herat. Leads LAAR, Ariana Nexus Academy's mentoring program for Afghan students applying to universities worldwide.

Languages on record: Pashto, Dari, English, Urdu, Hindi; working Arabic.

LinkedIn ORCID Google Scholar

Faculty and student-affairs delivery

Zeba Haqbani

Senior Partner

Infrastructure

B.Sc.
University of British Columbia

Academy mentor. Leads e-learning and LMS delivery.

Wasil Peroz

Principal

Institutional Law

B.A.
Milli University
M.Sc.
Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg

Policy and status modules, and programs for European universities.

Maryam Safi

Principal

Research

B.A.
Cornell University

Assessment design, measurement and the report for leadership.

Hussain Ahmad

Analyst

AI & Data Engineering

M.Eng.
Cornell University
Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Research faculty, labs and hosting at-risk scholars; the AI translation module.

Wellbeing, trauma-informed practice and cultural compliance

Tamana Ghaznawi

Senior Partner

Healthcare Systems

B.S.
Cornell University
M.P.H.
Cornell University

Academy mentor. Trauma-informed and health modules.

Diana Ayubi

Engagement Manager

Mental Health Programs

B.A.
Cornell University
Psy.D.
West Chester University

Academy mentor. Wellbeing, referral pathways and counseling-center sessions.

Shukria Sakhi

Engagement Manager

Cultural Compliance

B.S.
Brown University
M.P.H.
Brown University

Cultural Compliance Bureau review of every module.

Behind the named team: language specialists across 24 Afghan languages, Cultural Compliance Bureau reviewers, and Afghan alumni, scholars and current students from Ariana Nexus Academy's network, who join sessions as co-facilitators and speakers, always with consent.

Language specialists across 24 Afghan languages
Cultural Compliance Bureau reviewers
Afghan alumni, scholars and current students, always with consent

Security and compliance

Privacy, safety and compliance built into every session

Training about Afghan students must protect Afghan students first. These commitments apply to every engagement.

FERPA

Training uses composite, de-identified cases. When a consultation needs student information, we work as a school official under your contract and see only what the consultation requires.

Student and scholar safety

No names, photos or identifying details of Afghan students in any material, and student voice only with informed consent.

Scholar safety protocols

No routing through Afghanistan

Nothing is routed through channels controlled by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.

Sensitive populations and scholar safety

Privacy

No recording without consent; participant data limited to name, role and completion. GDPR and UK GDPR in Europe, PIPEDA and provincial law in Canada, the Privacy Act 1988 in Australia.

Global privacy pack

Accessibility

Materials built to WCAG 2.1 AA with captions and transcripts, ready for the ADA Title II rule, Section 508, EN 301 549 and AODA. Accessibility Conformance Report on request.

Accessibility

Information security

A Microsoft 365 environment with multi-factor authentication, encryption in transit and at rest, and role-based access. HECVAT 4 completed on request.

Cultural Compliance Bureau

Every module reviewed for accuracy, stereotypes, safety and bias before delivery, and re-reviewed each term.

Cultural compliance standard

Clear boundaries

Training is educational. It is not legal, immigration or clinical advice; staff learn when and where to refer.

Procurement

W-9, certificate of insurance and supplier forms on request. SAM.gov registered: UEI M2UDMUDFXGL9, CAGE 1Z3A3.

Capability Statement

Every commitment is documented in the Evidence index.

Languages

Pashto, Dari and 22 more Afghan languages

Sessions run in English with Pashto and Dari expertise. Participant materials, family letters and student companion sessions are available in all 24 Afghan languages and 13 international languages.

Iranian

12languages

Pashto
Dari
Aimaq
Balochi
Ormuri
Parachi

Pamir languages

Wakhi
Shughni
Sanglechi
Ishkashimi
Munji
Yidgha

Turkic

3languages

Uzbeki
Turkmeni
Kyrgyz

Indo-Aryan

3languages

Pashayi
Gawarbati
Tirahi

Nuristani

5languages

Nuristani (Ashkun group)
Kati
Prasun
Waigali
Tregami

Dravidian

1language

Brahui

Dialects are matched too, including Dari's Kabuli, Herati, Hazaragi and Badakhshi dialects and Pashto's northern and southern varieties.

د افغان زده‌کوونکو او پوهانو د ملاتړ لپاره روزنه

Pashto

آموزش برای حمایت از دانشجویان و دانشمندان افغان

Dari

13 international languages, plus English

Français
French
Deutsch
German
Español
Spanish
Italiano
Italian
Português
Portuguese
Svenska
Swedish
Türkçe
Turkish
Русский
Russian
العربية
Arabic
עברית
Hebrew
اردو
Urdu
हिन्दी
Hindi
中文
Chinese

Where we deliver

On campus in all 50 states, and for universities abroad

Ariana Nexus works from Washington, D.C., and delivers on campus in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., or live online. Institutions in Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe, and Australia engage us depending on the type and scale of the program.

AK
Alaska
ME
Maine
VT
Vermont
NH
New Hampshire
WA
Washington
ID
Idaho
MT
Montana
ND
North Dakota
MN
Minnesota
WI
Wisconsin
MI
Michigan
NY
New York
MA
Massachusetts
OR
Oregon
NV
Nevada
WY
Wyoming
SD
South Dakota
IA
Iowa
IL
Illinois
IN
Indiana
OH
Ohio
PA
Pennsylvania
NJ
New Jersey
CT
Connecticut
RI
Rhode Island
CA
California
UT
Utah
CO
Colorado
NE
Nebraska
MO
Missouri
KY
Kentucky
WV
West Virginia
VA
Virginia
MD
Maryland
DE
Delaware
AZ
Arizona
NM
New Mexico
KS
Kansas
AR
Arkansas
TN
Tennessee
NC
North Carolina
SC
South Carolina
DC
Washington, D.C.
OK
Oklahoma
LA
Louisiana
MS
Mississippi
AL
Alabama
GA
Georgia
HI
Hawaii
TX
Texas
FL
Florida

On-campus delivery

Top host states for Afghan international students

Top host states for Afghan international students (Open Doors 2025): New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Canada
Universities, colleges and CEGEPs serving Afghan students resettled since 2021, and WUSC Student Refugee Program local committees. Materials in English and French; PIPEDA and provincial privacy law.
United Kingdom and Ireland
Universities of Sanctuary and hosts of Cara fellows: academic staff, student wellbeing and international student teams. UK GDPR.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland
International Offices and hosts of Philipp Schwartz Initiative researchers and DAAD programs for Afghan students. Materials in German; GDPR.
France, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries and the EU
Universities and graduate schools enrolling Afghan students and scholars. Materials in French, Swedish, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; GDPR.
Australia
Higher education providers and student support services working with Afghan humanitarian entrants. Privacy Act 1988.

Program names belong to their owners. Ariana Nexus is independent of them.

All 50 states and Washington, D.C.: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming · Washington, D.C.

FAQ

Questions universities ask about Afghan student training

What does cultural training for faculty supporting Afghan students cover?

Ten modules: Afghanistan and the pathways to your campus; communication and classroom expectations; academic integrity and writing; trauma-informed, strengths-based support; Afghan women in higher education; safety and privacy; status, documents and money; faith, food and the academic calendar; language access and AI translation tools; and campus climate, Title VI and belonging. Each role receives the modules it needs.

Who should attend: faculty, international student services or student affairs?

All three, in role-based groups. Faculty and teaching assistants focus on the classroom, advising and academic integrity. International student and scholar services focus on status, documents and safety. Student affairs, residence life and counseling focus on wellbeing, belonging and referral. Leadership receives a 90-minute briefing.

How long is the training, and can it be delivered online?

Formats range from a 90-minute executive briefing and a 3-hour faculty workshop to a 1-day student-affairs intensive and term-long role tracks. Every format runs on campus, live online or blended, and core modules are available as LMS e-learning for Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace and Moodle.

How is this different from general intercultural training?

General intercultural training rarely covers what Afghan students face now: the bans on women's education, visa and travel restrictions, family members at risk, missing documents and 24 languages. This program is built specifically for Afghan students and scholars, delivered by Afghan scholars, reviewed by the Cultural Compliance Bureau and updated each term.

Who delivers the training?

Ariana Nexus's own team: Afghan scholars who studied at Cornell, Brown, the University of Chicago, the University of British Columbia and Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, with a doctor of psychology leading the wellbeing modules. Hassan Ukasha, Managing Partner, oversees the program. Language specialists and Academy alumni join as co-facilitators.

Does the training address trauma, grief and moral injury among Afghan students?

Yes. Module 4 covers grief, family separation, survivor guilt and moral injury, sometimes called moral trauma: how distress shows up, how to respond using SAMHSA's trauma-informed principles, and how to make a warm referral. It prepares staff to support and refer, not to counsel, and it treats students as scholars with strengths rather than as victims.

Will staff learn what to say about visas, travel bans and immigration status?

Staff learn the landscape, from student and exchange visas, parole and Special Immigrant Visas to refugee status, asylum and the U.S. entry restrictions in force since 2025, and, just as important, what they should not advise on. The module ends with clear referral routes to your designated school officials and immigration counsel. It is not legal advice.

How do you protect the privacy and safety of Afghan students?

Training uses composite, de-identified cases. No names, photos or identifying details of Afghan students appear in any material, student voice is included only with informed consent, and nothing is routed through channels controlled by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan. When a consultation needs student information, we work as a school official under FERPA through your contract.

Can you train departments hosting at-risk Afghan scholars?

Yes. Department chairs, principal investigators and research offices hosting scholars through Scholars at Risk, the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, Cara or the Philipp Schwartz Initiative receive a dedicated track: onboarding, lab and teaching culture, safety and publicity, family and status pressures, and career pathways after the fellowship.

Do you work with universities outside the United States?

Yes. We deliver in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and work with institutions in Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe, and Australia, depending on the type and scale of the program. Materials are available in French, German, Swedish and other languages, and we follow GDPR, UK GDPR, PIPEDA and Australia's Privacy Act.

Which languages do Afghan students speak, and which do you support?

Most speak Pashto, Dari or both, and many also speak Uzbeki, Turkmeni, Balochi, Pashayi, a Nuristani language or a Pamir language. We support all 24 Afghan languages, Pashto, Dari and 22 more, including Dari's regional dialects, plus 13 international languages from French to Chinese.

Are the training materials accessible and ready for our LMS?

Yes. Materials are built to WCAG 2.1 AA with captions and transcripts, delivered as SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 or xAPI packages, and provided as accessible PDFs. Public institutions preparing for the ADA Title II web rule, which applies to large public entities from April 27, 2027, can request an Accessibility Conformance Report.

How do you measure whether the training worked?

On all four Kirkpatrick levels: participant ratings, pre- and post-assessment by module, a 60-to-90-day follow-up on practice, and institutional indicators you choose, such as retention or early-alert response times. You receive a written report for leadership, and no student is ever identified in it.

Can Afghan students take part?

Yes, with consent. Afghan alumni and current students from Ariana Nexus Academy's network can join sessions as speakers, and we run companion sessions for Afghan students in Pashto, Dari and English on academic expectations, integrity and campus services.

How do we start, and how is the program priced?

With a 30-minute scoping call with a senior partner. Within five business days you receive a written proposal with learning outcomes, formats, timeline and fees. Programs are priced per engagement after scoping, and most institutions schedule the first session four to six weeks out, ahead of orientation or the start of term.

Related services

This page covers colleges and universities. Hospitals, courts, public agencies, schools and AI teams each have their own training and language services.

Sources

Plan your faculty and staff training.

A 30-minute scoping call with a senior partner. We sign your NDA or data-sharing agreement before any student situation is discussed.

Request a scoping call

Cultural Training for University Faculty and Student-Affairs Staff Supporting Afghan Students and Scholars

What this training is

What has changed for Afghan students since 2021

Training for every office an Afghan student passes through

Faculty and teaching assistants

International student and scholar services

Deans of students and student affairs

Residence life and housing

Counseling and health services

Admissions, registrar and credential evaluation

Advising, career services and financial aid

Departments hosting at-risk scholars

Title IX, civil rights and campus safety

Community colleges and English language programs

Presidents, provosts and deans

Ten modules, assigned by role

Module 1: Afghanistan, the Afghan diaspora and the pathways to your campus

Module 2: Communication, respect and classroom expectations

Module 3: Academic integrity, writing and assessment

Module 4: Trauma-informed and strengths-based support

Module 5: Afghan women in higher education

Module 6: Safety, privacy and digital security

Module 7: Status, documents and money

Module 8: Faith, food and the academic calendar

Module 9: Language access and AI translation tools

Module 10: Campus climate, Title VI and belonging

Eight signals faculty and staff misread

Silence in seminar

“Yes, I understand.”

No one comes to office hours

Memorized passages and citation gaps

Missed deadlines after news from home

Declining a photo or a news story

Turning down a counseling referral

Different dates and spellings on documents

Three ways institutions start

Briefing

Program

Capability

Formats that fit the academic calendar

What participants can do afterward

What your institution receives

How a program runs, from scoping call to the next term

Scoping call

Readiness review

Design

Delivery

Measurement

Sustain

Results measured on all four Kirkpatrick levels

Reaction

Learning

Behavior

Results

There is no national standard for supporting Afghan students. We built one.

Taught by Afghan scholars

Current, not 2021

In the student pipeline

Every Afghan language

Reviewed for bias and safety

Safety by design

Measured

One point of accountability

The team behind the training

Hassan Ukasha

Zeba Haqbani

Wasil Peroz

Maryam Safi

Hussain Ahmad

Tamana Ghaznawi

Diana Ayubi

Shukria Sakhi

Privacy, safety and compliance built into every session

FERPA

Student and scholar safety

No routing through Afghanistan

Privacy

Accessibility

Information security

Cultural Compliance Bureau