Study in UK from Nepal
Frequently Asked Questions

Studying in the UK from Nepal follows six stages. House of Admissions provides free guidance through every stage, from university shortlisting to pre-departure.

1. Choose your course and shortlist universities — identify 3–6 universities based on your academic profile, budget, city preference, and career objective.
2. Check entry requirements — undergraduate programmes typically require 60–80% in NEB Grade 12 (+2); postgraduate programmes require 55–75% in a recognised Nepali Bachelor's degree.
3. Prepare English evidence — an IELTS score of 6.0 (undergraduate) or 6.5 (postgraduate), or a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter from a recognised Nepali university, or a Grade 12 NEB English score of 60%+ for undergraduate entry at eligible institutions.
4. Apply — via UCAS for undergraduate programmes; directly to universities for postgraduate programmes.
5. Accept your offer and receive your CAS — pay the university deposit to trigger issuance of the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number, required for the visa.
6. Obtain your NOC — apply online at noc.moest.gov.np and pay NPR 2,000 to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST). Processing takes 1–5 working days.
7. Apply for the UK Student Visa — submit the online application at gov.uk/student-visa, pay the £558 visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) of £776 per year (UK Home Office, 2026), and provide 28-day bank statements from a Nepal Rastra Bank-regulated Class A commercial bank.

Processing time from visa application submission to decision is typically 3 weeks for standard service.

Three structural factors make the UK particularly well-suited for Nepali students.

• Shorter, lower-cost degrees. A UK Bachelor's degree takes 3 years (versus 4 in the USA or Australia), and a Master's takes 1 year. This reduces total tuition and living expenditure by the equivalent of a full academic year — often NPR 15–30 lakhs in total saving.
• Post-study work rights without a job offer. The Graduate Route visa grants unrestricted work rights post-graduation with no sponsor required — 18 months for applications filed on or after 1 January 2027, 2 years for those filed on or before 31 December 2026 (3 years for PhD graduates), with no employer sponsor required (UK Home Office, gov.uk/graduate-visa, 2026). Students can use this period to find skilled employment and transition to the Skilled Worker visa.
• Structured, predictable visa process. UK Student Visa requirements are published in full under Appendix Student of the UK Immigration Rules. A correctly prepared application from Nepal has a high approval rate. For a detailed comparison, see UK vs USA for Nepali Students.

Grade thresholds vary by university and course. HOA verifies each student's eligibility against the specific entry requirements of every university before submitting an application.

A study gap does not disqualify a Nepali applicant from UK universities. UK institutions and UKVI both accept gaps of 1–3 years, provided the period is accounted for productively. Acceptable gap activities include employment, IELTS preparation, business activity, or family responsibilities.

For the university application, the gap should be explained in the Personal Statement. For the UK Student Visa, UKVI assesses genuine student intent — not the absence of continuous study. See UK Universities Accepting Gap Year from Nepal for a list of institutions with confirmed gap year policies.

Yes. Three-year Bachelor's degrees from Tribhuvan University (TU) and Kathmandu University (KU) are accepted as equivalent to a UK Honours degree for Master's programme entry at over 100 UK universities in HOA's partner network, subject to the receiving institution's individual policy.

A small number of research-intensive universities — primarily Russell Group members — may require a four-year degree or additional coursework for some programmes. HOA confirms acceptance of the TU/KU degree at each target institution before application submission. For a detailed breakdown, see Nepal Grade Equivalency for UK Universities.

These thresholds are set by each university's English language policy. The IELTS for UKVI (Secure English Language Test) variant must be used if the score is intended for both university admission and the Student Visa application. Scores are typically valid for 2 years.

See IELTS for UK Study — Full Reference Guide for preparation resources and test centre information in Nepal.

Yes. Two UKVI-recognised routes allow eligible Nepali students to bypass IELTS.

• Route 1 — NEB Grade 12 English score (undergraduate applicants): A score of 60% or above in the NEB Grade 12 English subject is accepted by over 25 UK universities as an IELTS alternative. This can save up to NPR 35,000 in IELTS registration, preparation and sitting costs.
• Route 2 — Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter (postgraduate applicants): An official letter from a recognised Nepali institution — Tribhuvan University (TU), Kathmandu University (KU), Pokhara University (PU), or Purbanchal University — confirming that all degree-level instruction was conducted in English is accepted by the same group of UK institutions.

Full details of eligible institutions: Study in the UK Without IELTS — Nepal Guide and UK Universities Accepting MOI from Nepal.

At the Nepal Rastra Bank reference rate of NPR 195 per GBP (nrb.org.np, 2026), annual costs are:

International students may offset living costs through part-time work. At the National Minimum Wage of £12.71 per hour (UK Low Pay Commission, April 2026), working the permitted 20 hours per week during term time generates approximately £1,017 per month — NPR 1.98 lakhs. See UK Living Costs for Nepali Students for a city-by-city breakdown.

The UK Home Office requires applicants to demonstrate available funds continuously for 28 consecutive calendar days (Appendix Student, gov.uk/student-visa, 2026). The required total is:

• First-year tuition fees (or unpaid balance after deposit), plus
• Living costs: £10,539 for study outside London (9 months × £1,171/month) or £13,761 for study in London (9 months × £1,529/month).

Example (1-year Master's, outside London, tuition £12,000): Required funds = £12,000 + £10,539 = £22,539 (approximately NPR 43.95 lakhs at NPR 195 per GBP).

See UK Visa Bank Balance Requirements — Nepal Guide for the full 28-day rule reference and list of Nepal Rastra Bank-regulated Class A commercial banks.

Yes. Nepali commercial banks offer education loans specifically for overseas study. As of Baisakh 2082, the published floating rates at selected banks are:

RBB's scheme allows a 15-year repayment tenure with a 12-month moratorium after course completion. Loans above NPR 7.5 lakhs require collateral. Loan funds held in a Nepal Rastra Bank-regulated Class A commercial bank for 28 consecutive days are eligible financial evidence for the UK Student Visa.

The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a mandatory fee paid in full at the time of the UK Student Visa application. It grants access to National Health Service (NHS) healthcare during the entire visa period. The fee is set at £776 per year of study by the UK Home Office (immigration-health-surcharge.service.gov.uk, 2026).

• 1-year Master's programme: £776 total (≈ NPR 1.51 lakhs)
• 3-year Bachelor's programme: £2,328 total (≈ NPR 4.54 lakhs)

The IHS is paid separately from the £558 Student Visa application fee (gov.uk/student-visa/apply, 2026). Both are paid online during the visa application process before the biometric appointment.

The UK Student Visa application from Nepal follows seven steps, typically completed over 8–12 weeks after receiving the university offer.

1. Obtain NOC from MoEST — apply at noc.moest.gov.np, pay NPR 2,000; receive NOC certificate in 1–5 working days.
2. Accept offer and pay deposit — accept the Unconditional Offer and pay the tuition deposit (typically £1,000–£5,000) to the university.
3. Receive CAS reference number — the university issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number, usually within 2–4 weeks.
4. Prepare 28-day bank funds — ensure tuition balance plus £10,539 (outside London) or £13,761 (London) are in a qualifying Nepali bank account (any Nepal Rastra Bank-regulated Class A commercial bank) for 28 consecutive days.
5. Submit online visa application — apply at gov.uk/student-visa; pay £558 visa fee plus £776/year IHS.
6. Book and attend VFS biometrics — schedule a biometric appointment at VFS Global Nepal in Kathmandu; attend with original documents including 28-day bank statements, TB test certificate, and CAS number.
7. Await UKVI decision — standard processing from Nepal is approximately 3 weeks. A successful outcome is a vignette sticker valid for travel to the UK.

Full document list and timeline: UK Student Visa — Complete Guide for Nepali Students.

The No Objection Certificate (NOC) is a mandatory document required for all Nepali students travelling abroad for study, regardless of destination country, as stipulated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) Nepal.

Application portal

noc.moest.gov.np

Fee

NPR 2,000 (MoEST official portal, 2026)

Processing time

1–5 working days

Physical office

Sanothimi, Bhaktapur  |  Sun–Fri 10:00–16:00

Required before

Any overseas bank transfer of tuition or living costs AND the UK Student Visa application

The NOC process is fully online as of 2024. The NOC reference number must be included in the UK visa application document set.

Under Appendix Student of the UK Immigration Rules (gov.uk/student-visa, 2026), the required funds — first-year tuition plus living costs — must be present in the applicant's designated Nepal Rastra Bank-regulated Class A commercial bank account continuously for 28 consecutive calendar days, ending no more than 31 days before the visa application date.

• If the balance drops below the required threshold for even a single day, the application will be refused.
• Sudden large deposits immediately before the 28-day window may be scrutinised by UKVI as non-genuine funds.
• The bank must be on the UK Home Office's published list of approved Nepali financial institutions (12 banks — see the approved banks question below).

Full 28-day requirements: UK Visa Bank Balance Requirements.

UKVI does not publish a list of approved banks for Nepal. Named bank lists exist for only a handful of countries, and Nepal is not among them. The actual requirement is that your account is held at an institution regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank with electronic record keeping, able to issue a statement in UKVI’s required format (UKVI Financial Evidence Guidance, 2026). All 20 of Nepal’s Class A commercial banks meet this — if you already bank with one, there is no need to move your money. What actually causes refusals is the statement’s format and timing: 28 consecutive days, the balance never dipping below the threshold, and evidence dated within 31 days of applying. The list below is HOA’s own compilation against the Nepal Rastra Bank Class A register, not a UKVI publication.

1. Nepal Bank Ltd. (NBL)
2. Rastriya Banijya Bank Ltd. (RBB)
3. Agriculture Development Bank Ltd. (ADBL)
4. Nabil Bank Ltd. — absorbed Nepal Bangladesh Bank, 2022
5. Nepal Investment Mega Bank Ltd. (NIMB)
6. Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd. (SCBNL)
7. Himalayan Bank Ltd. — absorbed Civil Bank, 2023
8. Nepal SBI Bank Ltd.
9. Everest Bank Ltd. (EBL)
10. NIC ASIA Bank Ltd.
11. Machhapuchchhre Bank Ltd. (MBL)
12. Kumari Bank Ltd. — absorbed NCC Bank, 2023
13. Laxmi Sunrise Bank Ltd. — Laxmi + Sunrise merger, 2023
14. Siddhartha Bank Ltd.
15. Global IME Bank Ltd. — absorbed Bank of Kathmandu, 2023
16. Citizens Bank International Ltd.
17. Prime Commercial Bank Ltd.
18. Sanima Bank Ltd.
19. NMB Bank Ltd.
20. Prabhu Bank Ltd.

Bank not on the list? Nepal’s banking sector consolidated in 2022–23. Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Sunrise Bank, Civil Bank, NCC and Bank of Kathmandu no longer exist independently — each merged into a successor above. An account with any of them transferred automatically and remains valid, but ensure your statement is issued in the successor bank’s current name; a dissolved bank’s letterhead invites avoidable caseworker questions.

The most frequent grounds for refusal from Nepal are preventable.

• Financial non-compliance. The bank balance fell below the required threshold for even a single day during the 28-day window.
• Suspicious fund origin. A large lump sum was deposited immediately before the 28-day period, prompting UKVI to question whether the funds are genuinely available to the applicant.
• Document defects. Translations were not officially certified; the TB test certificate was from a non-UKVI-approved clinic; the CAS reference contained discrepancies.
• Genuine student intent concern. The application did not adequately demonstrate the applicant intends to study and depart after the course ends.

For a full analysis of refusal causes and how to avoid them: UK Student Visa Refusal — Causes and Remedies.

The Graduate Route visa grants unrestricted work rights post-graduation with no sponsor required — 18 months for applications filed on or after 1 January 2027, 2 years for those filed on or before 31 December 2026 (3 years for PhD graduates), with no employer sponsor or job offer required (UK Home Office, gov.uk/graduate-visa, 2026).

• Eligible: All students who completed a degree at a UK university with a valid Student Visa
• Work rights: Any job, any employer, any sector, any salary
• Path after: Transition to Skilled Worker Visa requires a sponsored role at a minimum salary of £38,700 per year (gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job/salary-requirements, 2026)

The Graduate Route does not count toward the 5-year ILR qualifying period, but provides the bridge between study and skilled employment needed to enter the Skilled Worker pathway. Full reference: Graduate Route Visa — Nepal Guide.

Yes. UK immigration law provides a structured pathway from Student Visa to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

1. UK Student Visa — during your 1–3 year degree.
2. Graduate Route Visa — 18 months (2 years if filed on or before 31 December 2026) of unrestricted work post-graduation (3 for PhD). No job offer required (gov.uk/graduate-visa, 2026).
3. Skilled Worker Visa — requires a sponsored role at a minimum salary of £38,700/year (gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa, 2026). ILR qualifying period begins here.
4. Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) — apply after 5 continuous years on qualifying UK visas, including Skilled Worker.
5. British Citizenship — eligible to apply 1 year after ILR is granted.

The minimum realistic timeline from student entry to ILR is 7–9 years, depending on how quickly employment at the salary threshold is secured. See Skilled Worker Visa — Pathway from Nepal.

House of Admissions has assisted Nepali students in securing over £2M in scholarship funding since 2016. See UK Scholarships for Nepali Students — Full Hub and Scholarship Application Guide for eligibility criteria and deadlines.

UK Student Visa holders are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week during term time and full-time (40 hours per week) during official university holidays, per Appendix Student of the UK Immigration Rules (gov.uk/student-visa/work, 2026).

See Part-Time Work in the UK for Nepali Students for sector guidance and job-finding resources.

Nepal is listed as a country requiring a tuberculosis (TB) test certificate for all UK visa applicants whose course duration exceeds 6 months. The test must be conducted at a UKVI-approved clinic in Nepal — not a government hospital or general diagnostic centre.

• Result validity: 6 months from test date
• Consequence of non-approved clinic: Automatic visa refusal
• HOA support: HOA provides the current list of UKVI-approved TB clinics in Kathmandu and Pokhara at the pre-application stage

Full list of approved clinics and procedure: TB Test for UK Visa — Nepal Guide.

House of Admissions provides 100% free admissions guidance to all Nepali students — no registration fee, no processing fee, and no commission charged to the student at any stage. The service is funded through educational partnership agreements with 153 UK partner universities, under which universities compensate registered education agents for qualified student introductions.

HOA follows UKVI-compliant practice and operates in line with UK Agent Quality Framework (AQF) principles. Being precise: UKVI licenses UK institutions as student sponsors and does not certify education agents, and the AQF explicitly does not accredit agencies — so HOA holds no UKVI certification and no AQF registration. All 20+ HOA counsellors do individually hold the British Council’s UK Agent and Counsellor Training Certification Award. AQF is the professional standard for ethical agency conduct, verified by UKCISA (AQF certification details). The service includes university shortlisting, application submission, visa document auditing, scholarship identification, and pre-departure orientation. HOA has guided 5,000+ Nepali students to UK university offers and achieved a 99% UK Student Visa success rate since 2016.

Offices: Putalisadak 28, Kathmandu (primary) and 3rd Floor, Trade Mall, Chipledhunga, Pokhara-8. About House of Admissions  |  Student-First Approach.