In September, the University of New Haven in Connecticut received a seven-figure donation from Henrik Nielsen, a Scandinavian business executive, to establish the Afghan Women’s Scholars Program, an initiative to support women from Afghanistan seeking to pursue an education in the United States. This month, the university announced that Nielsen has tripled his original pledge in support of the new program. The exact amount of Nielsen’s donation has not been disclosed.
Since the program’s announcement, the university has received nearly 1,000 applications. At the start of the spring 2025 semester, four Afghan women arrived on the University of New Haven campus to begin their graduate education. The program originally planned to support 14 students, but thanks to Nielsen’s additional funding, a total of 42 Afghan women will receive full-tuition scholarships to attend the University of New Haven. They will also have access to the university’s educational and career development resources that are available to the entire campus community.
“Seeing the tremendous number of applicants and hearing their passion for continuing their education amid a horrific humanitarian crisis has been incredibly inspiring,” said Nielsen. “I am happy to help support the University of New Haven’s efforts, which will be life-changing for those in the program.”