Nepal, the landlocked multiethnic, multilingual, multi-religious country, is situated north of India in the Himalayas, in the region where, about 40 to 50 million years ago, the Indian subcontinent has crashed into Asia. Because of that accident, Nepal has some of the world's highest mountains including Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest, 8848m, which it shares with Tibet (by now a province of China). The highest mountain on Earth is towering above populated valleys and forested plains. Somewhere here in the Kapilavastu district, there is a place called Lumbini where in about 500 B.C.E. Queen Mayadevi is said to have given birth to Siddhartha Gautama, better known as Buddha.

Nepal can be divided broadly into three ecological zones: the lowland, the midland and the highland. The altitude of the Himalayan Region (the highland) ranges between 4877 m - 8848 m, It includes 8 of the highest 14 summits in the world, which exceed altitude of 8000 meters including Mount Everest. The mountain region accounts for about 64 percent of total land area, which is formed by the Mahabharat range that soars up to 4877 m and the lower Churia range. The lowland Terai, the flat river plain of the Ganges with a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests, occupies about 17 percent of the total land area of the country.

In the run for qualitative education and the resultant good job prospects, many students across the globe prefer pursuing higher education in foreign destinations. And Nepali foreign education aspirants are no exception here. The scenario in Nepal is such that Nepalis with a foreign degree are preferred over a Nepali student with a national degree. This throws light on the existing curriculum and teaching methodology in the country. An overview of the past few generations knowledge gaining shows that the younger has not learned anything new than the older generations.

Higher education is the sign of economic and social development in the country. It helps in preserving and developing the historical and cultural heritage of the nation. Similarly it helps in producing competent manpower in the global context and it encourages and promotes research in the different areas of education. The history of higher education development in the country is very short but it has been rapid since the establishment of Democracy in 1950s. In Nepal, modern higher education began with the establishment of Tri Chandra College, the first institution of higher education, in 1919 (first affiliated with Calcutta University, then with Patna University of India). Favorable environment for expansion of higher education was created with the political change in 1951, when the Rana rule was overthrown. Higher Education (in T.C. College) was available for those who passed SLC examination. The fees were quite low. There was access for all, who sought to get admission. Students who did Bachelor level study had to go to India for Master level study.

Prior to the establishment of the Tribhuvan University, some classes were conducted in Kathmandu under the prescribed courses of Patna University. The University conducted examinations with their own question papers and conferred Degree to succeeded students. The TU was established in Kathmandu in 1959, since then, the university has taken the sole responsibility of providing higher education in the country. The university started teaching post graduate courses at different constituents and affiliated campuses. The higher education study courses were provided in different areas of Humanities, Agriculture, Forestry, Sciences, Management, Medicines and Engineering etc. Now, Nepal has different universities offering different courses e.g. Nepal Sanskrit University offers the study of Sanskrit to a very restricted group and Kathmandu University, Pokhara University and Purbanchal University, private sector universities offers the study of Humanities, Sciences, Management, Medical and Engineering. Though Nepal has achieved remarkable progress in higher education development since early 1970s when the Government started to implement the National Education System Plan (NESP).

List of Universities in Nepal

• Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur
• Pokhara University, Pokhara
• Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel
• Purbanchal University, Biratnagar
• Mid-Western University, Birendranagar
• Far Western University, Kanchanpur
• Nepal Sanskrit University, Dang
• Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan
• Lumbini Buddha University, Lumbini
• Rajarshi Janak University, Janakpur
• Nepal Open University, Lalitpur
• Gandaki University, Pokhara
• Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology, Lalitpur
• Manmohan Technical University, Morang

Study visa is issued to foreign students pursuing academic /non academic degree and research in Nepal. It is issued by the Department of Immigration upon the recommendation of line agency (Ministry of Education). It is also issued to teachers/professors involved in academic work (teaching) in Nepal upon recommendations from the concerned agencies of Nepal Government. It is issued for maximum of one year as per the recommendation or length of study.