KATHMANDU: Every year, thousands of Nepali students leave the country for higher education, taking billions of rupees with them.
In the fiscal year 2023/24 alone, 112,000 students received No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to study abroad. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, over Rs 125 billion was spent on higher education expenses overseas during the period.
However, some colleges have brought foreign university curricula to Nepal, offering students the opportunity to earn international degrees without leaving the country. At present, 59 colleges have received permission to offer programs through affiliation with foreign universities. Presidential Business School in Thapagaun, Model Institute of Technology (MIT) in Bagbazar, The British College in Thapathali and Chakupat and Texas College of Management and IT in Chabahil are among the colleges offering foreign university programs in Nepal.
Despite so many colleges providing foreign university degrees in Nepal itself, experts say the attraction to study abroad continues to grow among parents and students.
Presidential Business School is affiliated with Westcliff University in California, USA. The college offers BBA, MBA, MBA-IT, MBA Data Analytics, MBA Finance and Economics, BSc IT, MSc IT, BSc IT Cyber Security, and BSc IT Software and Web Development programs.
Sushant Tripathi, Business Development Head at Presidential College, says the college has been providing quality education through foreign university affiliation. “Presidential is not just providing education for now but for the future,” he added.
To study at Presidential, students must score 50% in grade 12 and pass both the entrance exam and the interview. Classes follow a four-month semester system. The four-year BSc IT course costs $2,300 in university fees. The total cost for the four-year course comes at around Rs 1.15 million.
Presidential also offers a two-year MBA program. This level also requires 50% marks in the Bachelor’s degree and passing both the college entrance exam and interview. The postgraduate program costs Rs 800,000 for Nepali students.
MIT International in Bagbazar is affiliated with the International American University, Los Angeles. It offers BBA, MBA, and BIT programs. MIT is a member of the Kathmandu Model College (KMC) Group which has 9-10 institutions under it. MIT’s co-founder RK Dahal says they started offering foreign degrees in Nepal after understanding that many students want to go abroad after completing grades 12.
MIT offers International American College programs like BIT, BBA and MBA.”It’s 100% the same curriculum. We teach according to a set calendar. We offer Bachelor’s courses for Rs 1 to 1.1 million,” he added. For the BIT course, the entry criteria are open. Students can study BIT regardless of their background in grades 11 and 12, whether it’s humanities, social science, management or science.
Students can study at MIT with a C grade in every subject and a 2 GPA average. “But documentation must be complete. Students must prove that they studied in English medium in grade 12,” he added. According to him, BIT is a four-year course costing Rs 1.1 million, while BBA and MBA cost Rs 900,000 and Rs 700,000, respectively.
For MBA, students must have completed their Bachelor’s degree with a 3 GPA.
Texas International College in Chabahil offers BBA, BHM, BIT and BCS. The four-year BBA course costs Rs 850,000. Texas is affiliated with Lincoln University, Malaysia. Students get internships and job opportunities after completing 50% of the course.
“After completing grade 12, 50% of students want to study abroad. Even the remaining 50% try to go abroad when possible. To stop them, we are teaching courses from foreign universities in Nepal itself,” said Saurabh Sharma, Administrative Head of Texas College.
The British College, operated by British Education Group, offers programs from Keele University, UK; Leeds Beckett University, UK; and West England University, UK. These include BBA, BHM, BSc (Computing), BSc (Cyber Security and Digital Forensics), BSc (Computer Science-AI) and BSc Data Science. At the graduate level, they offer Weekend MBA (Executive), MBA (Graduate), MSc Information and Technology and MSc (Advanced Computer Science).
According to Amardeep Mandal, Head of Marketing at The British College, these universities rank between 500-600 globally. “Students can study curricula from good UK universities at The British College,” he added.
Scholarships Galore
Presidential College has its own scholarship rules. According to Tripathi, they provide scholarships to talented students and those with excellent grade 12 results. “Not only that, we also offer scholarships to students who have successfully represented the country internationally. Scholarships are also available for students raised by single parents who come to study at Presidential,” he added.
According to Mandal, The British College provides three types of scholarships: first, through merit competition; second, based on the academic certificate; third, based on whether students rank first, second or third in class. He added that the BBA course costs Rs1.9 million with university fees fluctuating based on exchange rates. Similarly, the MBA program at The British College costs Rs 800,000.
Presidential, MIT, Texas, and British College are providing the 10% scholarship mandated by the education ministry.
An official from the Higher Education Division of the ministry said the implementation of a mandatory 10% scholarship provision is not unsatisfactory. “Colleges must set aside 10% of seats for scholarship,” he added. “Colleges must maintain quality alongside service. Just seeking profit isn’t enough.”
The official added that 59 colleges offering foreign degrees have over 30,000 students. These colleges must pay Rs 1,500 per student as tax.
Why Students Want to Go Abroad
Dahal said a survey of MIT students hsa showed many students want to abroad for studies. “We surveyed students wanting to study abroad after grade 12. Out of 100, 69 showed interest in going abroad. The rest didn’t say they wouldn’t go. They said they weren’t sure and would decide based on circumstances,” Dahal said.
According to him, MIT also asked students which country they wanted to study in. Most wanted to go to the US, followed by Australia, Canada, the UK and other countries. “When asked if they would stay or go abroad if we taught courses from good universities of those countries in Nepal itself, nearly 50% said they would stay,” he added.
Students prefer to go abroad not just to study but for a secure future, good jobs and to do something in life. “Students don’t just want quality education, they want to live in a good country,” Dahal added.
Tripathi says there are various reasons behind thousands of students going abroad annually despite local colleges offering foreign university degrees. “There are many reasons. One is freedom. Students can’t get a foreign lifestyle while staying in Nepal. Second is the desire to get a PR. The purpose of studying abroad is to get PR. Students think about settling there rather than just studying,” he added.
Tripathi advised parents to think carefully before sending their children abroad for studies. “Rather than pushing to send children abroad for studies, I request parents to study what facilities are available in Nepal. Don’t send them abroad influenced by others. International standard education is now available in Nepal,” he said.
Dahal said there are no standards for students going abroad with NOC. “There are no standards set for students going abroad with NOC. There is no requirement for university ranking or quality. Students are going abroad to study the same university courses that we are teaching in Nepal,” Dahal said.
He said the government should provide support to colleges that are offering foreign degrees in Nepal. “It costs over Rs 10 million for students to live and study abroad. We can teach the same university course for just Rs 1 million,” Dahal said. “Since we are paying only 10 to 20% of this fee to foreign universities and retaining the remaining amount in the country, the government should provide more support and encouragement to us”
Mandal says it’s a matter of debate why students prefer to go abroad even though foreign university degrees are available in Nepal. “Surprisingly, students are going abroad when foreign degrees are available in Nepal,” he said. Maybe because students think they can study and work independently abroad, resulting in a settled life.”
Colleges Offering Foreign Degrees
