The new regulations, published in the Nepal Gazette on 2083/03/25, require institutions seeking to run foreign higher-education programmes to first obtain prior consent from the Ministry of Education and Sports. The foreign university providing affiliation must generally have recognized quality assurance and accreditation and be ranked within the top 1,000 globally under rankings such as Times Higher Education, QS or a comparable system. Institutions must also meet minimum land requirements—three ropani in Kathmandu Valley, six ropani in hill or mountain districts and 15 kattha in the Tarai—and eventually operate from their own buildings. New institutions must construct their own buildings within five years of receiving permission, while previously approved institutions are given transitional deadlines.
Operating licences will be valid for five years and can be renewed after ministry review and, where necessary, physical inspection. A college may generally operate programmes affiliated with only one foreign university, and permission for a single university will initially cover a maximum of two academic programmes at a time. Existing institutions affiliated with multiple foreign universities must move to a single-university model within one year, while ensuring currently enrolled students can complete their studies. The ministry can cancel licences for violating infrastructure requirements, operating unauthorized programmes, failing to renew, changing affiliation, programme, name or location without approval, or failing to follow ministry directives. The rules also require annual monitoring and allow academic audits of curricula, examinations and teaching quality.
The regulations introduce significant obligations on scholarships, deposits and student protection. Institutions with Nepali investors must reserve 10% of seats for scholarships, while those with foreign investors must reserve 20%, covering meritorious, economically disadvantaged, women, Janajati, Madhesi, Dalit, persons with disabilities and students from backward areas. Institutions must maintain government deposits of Rs 2.5 million per undergraduate programme and Rs 1.5 million per postgraduate programme, while programmes affiliated with foreign boards require Rs 1.5 million. If an institution or programme closes, it remains responsible for ensuring enrolled students complete their studies, even if this requires using institutional or promoters’ assets. Institutions must also maintain student information systems, biometric attendance, publish fees before admission, and normally limit credit transfers to 40% of a programme, with no more than 25% of enrolled students receiving such transfers.
The rules also require foreign-affiliated colleges to provide adequate classrooms, laboratories, libraries, internet, counselling and first-aid facilities, disability-friendly infrastructure and qualified faculty, generally with at least postgraduate qualifications. Institutions must introduce Nepal Studies up to the bachelor’s level and include at least one Nepal-focused module relevant to the programme, such as applying AI to Nepal’s tourism sector. Foreign-affiliated higher-education institutions must also begin the process of obtaining institutional quality assurance from the University Grants Commission within three years. Application and programme-related fees range from Rs 50,000 for applications to an additional Rs 500,000 when programme approval, expansion or certain major changes are granted, while programme renewal costs Rs 50,000 every five years.
