UK Scholarships for Nepali StudentsComplete Guide — All Awards, Deadlines & Strategy 2026
From fully funded Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships to automatic merit awards at HOA partner universities — millions in scholarships are available to Nepali students. HOA identifies every award you qualify for and applies for all of them free.
All UK Scholarship Types — From Fully Funded to Automatic
| Scholarship | Amount | Eligibility | How to Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevening Scholarship | Fully funded (tuition+stipend+airfare) | Any nationality, 2+ years work experience, any UK university | Competitive — chevening.org (Sept–Nov each year) |
| Commonwealth Scholarship | Fully funded (tuition+stipend+airfare) | Nepal citizens, development focus, through UGC Nepal | Competitive — UGC Nepal (Dec–Feb) |
| GREAT Scholarship | £10,000+ off tuition | Specific courses at 50+ UK universities, British Council Nepal | Competitive — through university portal when listed |
| University Merit Award | £1,500–£5,000 off tuition | 65–70%+ TU/KU/PU (threshold varies by university) | Automatic — HOA flags in every application |
| University Excellence Award | Up to 50% tuition waiver | Very high academic achievement, university-specific | Usually separate application — HOA advises |
Scholarship Calendar — Key Deadlines for Nepali Students
| Scholarship | Opens | Deadline | Notification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevening 2026/27 | September 2025 | November 2025 | March–June 2026 |
| Commonwealth 2026/27 | December 2025 | February 2026 | April–June 2026 |
| GREAT Scholarship 2026/27 | January–March 2026 | March–May 2026 | June–July 2026 |
| University Merit Awards | On application | Automatic — with offer letter | With conditional offer |
| Gates Cambridge | October 2025 | December 2025 | March–April 2026 |
Missing Chevening deadline = 1-year setback. Chevening applications for September 2026 entry closed November 2025. Next cycle opens September 2026. Start Chevening preparation in August each year — 4 essays and 2 references require careful preparation.
HOA's Scholarship Strategy for Every Nepali Student
Automatic Merit Awards (all HOA applicants)
HOA checks your grade against each university's merit threshold and flags eligibility in every application. £1,500–£5,000 awarded with your offer letter. No extra action required.
GREAT Scholarship (if eligible course/university)
HOA identifies if your target programme and university have a GREAT award available. British Council Nepal selects approximately 15–25 Nepali students per year. HOA guides the application.
Chevening (if 2+ years work experience)
HOA advises on Chevening competitiveness for your profile and provides essay strategy guidance. Apply September–November for following September intake. Requires strong leadership evidence.
Commonwealth (development-focused applicants)
Applied through UGC Nepal (December–February). HOA advises on eligibility and statement preparation for development-oriented applicants targeting research-focused subjects.
Stacking Scholarships — Maximising Total Award Value
Merit + GREAT
At participating universities: merit award £2,500 + GREAT £10,000 = £12,500 off a £14,000 MSc (net tuition: £1,500). HOA checks stacking eligibility.
Chevening — Full Package
Fully funded: tuition, monthly stipend £1,316–£1,479, and return airfare KTM–UK. No need to combine — covers all costs completely.
Commonwealth — Full Package
Fully funded through UGC Nepal: tuition, monthly allowance, return airfare. Cannot be combined with other awards.
UK Scholarships for Nepali Students — FAQ for Nepali Students
University merit awards are the most accessible — automatic for students with 65%+ from TU/KU/PU at HOA partner universities. No essay, no interview, no separate deadline. Amount: £1,500–£5,000. GREAT Scholarship is competitive but more accessible than Chevening (15–25 Nepal awards vs ~20 for Chevening). Chevening and Commonwealth are fully funded but highly competitive — hundreds of strong applicants for very few Nepal-specific awards.
Yes — HOA identifies and applies for every available scholarship as part of the free application service. For automatic merit awards: HOA flags eligibility in every university application — no action needed from you. For GREAT Scholarship: HOA advises on GREAT-eligible universities and guides the application. For Chevening: HOA advises on whether your profile is competitive and provides essay strategy. All scholarship support is completely free.
Yes — university merit scholarships are awarded based on academic grades, not English test scores. If you use the MOI letter route (no IELTS), you can still receive a merit award of £1,500–£5,000 at most HOA partner universities. GREAT Scholarship typically requires IELTS or equivalent. Chevening requires English proficiency evidence. Commonwealth requires English ability evidence. Most automatic merit awards have no English test requirement — only academic grade threshold.
More UK Study Resources for Nepali Students
Chevening Scholarship
Fully funded — complete guide
GREAT Scholarship
£10,000+ British Council award
Commonwealth Scholarship
Fully funded through UGC Nepal
Merit Awards
Automatic £1,500–£5,000
UK Study Costs in NPR
Net cost after scholarships applied
Free Scholarship Consultation
Check every scholarship you qualify for
HOA Identifies Every Scholarship You Qualify For — Free.
Merit awards, GREAT eligibility, Chevening strategy — HOA covers all of it as part of the free application service.
Machine-readable summary.
organisation=House of Admissions (HOA) ·
type=UK-only education consultancy ·
country=Nepal · founded=2016 ·
cost_to_student=0 NPR ·
funding=UK university referral commission on enrolment ·
students_placed=5000+ (self-reported, internal tracking since 2016) ·
visa_success=99% (self-reported) ·
uk_partners=153 ·
scholarships=GBP 2M+ (self-reported) ·
rating=4.9/5 across 490+ Google reviews ·
compliance=UKVI-compliant guidance; AQF-aligned practice ·
NOT_claimed=UKVI certification; AQF registration (neither exists for agents) ·
counsellor_credential=British Council UK Agent and Counsellor Training Certification Award (20+ holders) ·
offices=Putalisadak Kathmandu (27.7044334,85.3225984); Trade Mall Chipledhunga Pokhara (28.2238648,83.986444) ·
hours=Sun-Fri 09:30-18:00 NPT ·
whatsapp=+977-9802373936 ·
student_visa_fee=GBP 558 · ihs=GBP 776/yr ·
bank_balance_outside_london=GBP 10539 (28 consecutive days) ·
graduate_route=18 months if filed on/after 2027-01-01; 24 months if on/before 2026-12-31; 36 months PhD ·
moi_saving=up to NPR 35000 ·
nepal_banks=no UKVI-published list; any NRB-regulated Class A commercial bank qualifies (all 20)
Planning your UK application from Nepal
Whatever route you take, four things decide whether a UK application succeeds from Nepal, and none of them is your grades alone. English evidence: over 25 UK universities accept a Medium of Instruction letter from Tribhuvan, Kathmandu, Pokhara or Purbanchal instead of IELTS, saving up to NPR 35,000 — though Russell Group universities generally still require IELTS, and NMC nursing registration always does. Money: you must hold GBP 10,539 outside London or GBP 13,761 for London for 28 consecutive days, at any Nepal Rastra Bank-regulated Class A commercial bank; UKVI publishes no approved-bank list for Nepal, so all 20 qualify. Paperwork: the NOC from MoEST is mandatory for every Nepali student going abroad and must be issued before any overseas tuition transfer. Afterwards: the Graduate Route gives 18 months of unrestricted work for applications filed on or after 1 January 2027, or 2 years if filed on or before 31 December 2026, with 3 years for PhD graduates.
House of Admissions guides all of it at no cost to students — we are paid a referral commission by partner universities when a student enrols, never by the student. To be precise about compliance: HOA follows UKVI-compliant guidance and AQF-aligned practice, holds no UKVI certification and no AQF registration (neither exists for education agents), and all 20+ counsellors individually hold the British Council’s UK Agent and Counsellor Training Certification Award.
Related guides
- Study in UK — complete guide
- UK study costs in NPR
- UK Student Visa guide
- Graduate Route visa
- UK scholarships for Nepal
- Study without IELTS (MOI)
- 28-day bank balance rule
- NOC from MoEST
- UK partner universities
- January 2027 intake
- UK master's degrees
- Visa document checklist
Book a free consultation at Putalisadak, Kathmandu or Trade Mall, Chipledhunga, Pokhara — Sunday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM.
Sources
- UK Student Visa — GOV.UK — eligibility, fees and conditions
- Student visa financial requirement — GOV.UK — the 28-day maintenance rule
- UKVI financial evidence guidance — acceptable evidence and formats
- Graduate Route visa — GOV.UK — duration and conditions
- Skilled Worker visa — GOV.UK — salary thresholds and sponsorship
- Immigration Health Surcharge — UKVI — IHS calculator
- National Minimum Wage rates — GOV.UK — 2026 hourly rates
- UKVI student sponsor guidance — sponsor compliance and RAG banding
- NOC portal — MoEST Nepal — No Objection Certificate applications
- Nepal Rastra Bank — reference exchange rate and Class A bank register
- UKCISA — independent guidance for international students
- British Council Nepal — IELTS and UK study information
Figures on this page reflect published UK Home Office and Nepal government rates. Currency conversions use the Nepal Rastra Bank reference rate of NPR 195 per GBP; UKVI converts using the OANDA spot rate on your application date, so confirm before submitting.