List of universities in Nepal

Prior to the establishment of the first college in the country, Tri-Chandra College in 1918, higher education in Nepal was nonexistent. Until 1985, Tribhuvan University had remained the one and the only university in Nepal. In the early 80s, His Majesty's Government developed the concept of a multi-university system for the country. One important assumption behind the concept was that each new university should have a distinctive nature, content and function of its own.

The first new university that was established was Mahendra Sanskrit University. The inception of this university was soon followed by Kathmandu University in 1990, Purbanchal and Pokhara Universities in 1995 and 1996 respectively. Many schools and colleges are run by private initiatives but none of the universities in Nepal are private.

Currently there are six universities in Nepal, and two institutions recognised as universities:

• Tribhuvan University [1]
• Kathmandu University [2]
• Pokhara University [3]
• Purbanchal University[4]
  
• Mahendra Sanskrit University[5]
• Lumbini Bouddha University[6]
• Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
• National Academy of Medical Sciences
• Mid-Western University Birendranagar
• Nepal Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Bharatpur
• Siddartha University

Tribhuvan University

Tribhuvan University(TU) is a public university in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. A huge number of students, approximately 272,746 from all over Nepal and abroad, makes it the biggest university in Nepal.

The University provides both undergraduate and graduate education. Currently, more than 2,400 courses are offered, of which 300 are for intermediate level courses (equivalent to Higher Secondary School), 1,079 are for undergraduate and 1,000 are for Postgraduate programs. The university has 65 integral colleges and more than 200 affiliated colleges throughout the country. Since it is government financed, it is less expensive than other private universities.

Kathmandu University

Kathmandu University was started in 1991 with the motto "Quality Education for Leadership". The University operates through its six Schools of Science, Engineering, Management, Arts, Education and Medical sciences. The University is operating from premises at Dhulikhel, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.

As of 2000, the present number of students enrolled in Kathmandu University is about 1268 and the number of students enrolled in the affiliated colleges are 2072.

Pokhara University

Pokhara University (PU) was established in 1996 as Nepal's fifth University. The central office of the university is located in Pokhara, Kaski district, Western Development Region. Along with Purbanchal University, PU was formed as part of the government's policy to pursue a multi-university system for improved access to higher education. The Prime Minister is the Chancellor of the University and the Minister for Education is the Pro-Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor is the principal administrator of the university.

Purbanchal University "पुर्वान्चल विश्वविधालय"

Purbanchal University (PU) was established in 1995 with aims to develop higher education in the country in a decentralized manner and to expand the opportunities of higher education. The Prime Minister is the Chancellor of the University and the Pro-Chancellor is the Minister for Education. The Vice Chancellor is the principal administrator of the University. The Central Office of the University is located in Biratnagar, Morang district, Eastern Development Region.

Mahendra Sanskrit University

Mahendra Sanskrit University (MSU) established in December 1986, has its central office at Beljhundi in Dang district of Mid-Western Development Region, Nepal. The university offers Intermediate (Uttar Madhyama), Bachelor (Shastri), Bachelor of Education, Masters (Acharya) and Doctoral courses in classical and modern subjects. It also offers intermediate in Ayurveda and condensed courses for Ayurvedacharya. The university has 12 constituent and 13 affiliated Vidhyapithas (campuses) situated in different parts of the country.

Lumbini Buddha University

Lumbini Buddha University Lumbini Buddha University was established in 2005 on the occasion of World Buddhist Conference in Nepal. This university is nearthe birth place of Lord Buddha. The aim of this university is to discover the philosophy of Buddhism and creation of inner peace.

This university was in preparation for the course book and infrastructure from three years but in 2008 it has started its first semester on Buddhism.