University
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 eighties, 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, the first private university in 1990, Purbanchal and Pokhara Universities in 1995 and 1996 respectively. Many schools and colleges are run by private initiatives.
Medical Colleges
Medical colleges in Nepal are spread over various parts of the country. Most of these medical colleges in Nepal are in the private sector, although there are some government medical colleges too. Admission of local students to these medical colleges in Nepal is done generally through an entrance test. However foreign students are admitted on the basis of their performance in a personal interview. In order to be eligible for admission to the MBBS courses of Nepal's medical colleges, one needs to pass the higher secondary examination in science or its equivalent. Medical education in Nepal is regulated by the Medical Council of Nepal. Apart from giving recognition to the medical colleges in Nepal, it also conducts the licensing examination for providing registration to the new doctors. It is also responsible for making policies related to curriculum, admission, term and examination system of teaching institute of medical education and to make recommendation for cancellation of registration and approved by renewing and evaluating such system/procedure.
Engineering Colleges
There are quite a good number of engineering colleges in Nepal that provide engineering courses in various parts of the country. Most of these engineering Colleges in Nepal admit the local students through an entrance test. However foreign students are admitted on the basis of their performance in a personal interview. Candidates, to be eligible for admission to the engineering colleges in Nepal, should at least pass the Intermediate in Science or diploma in engineering or its equivalent.
Institute of Engineering of Tribhuvan University is the oldest engineering institute of Nepal. It has 4 colleges of its own and other 13 private engineering colleges run under its affiliation. One among the IOE's colleges is Pulchowk Campus which is the central Campus of IOE. Pulchowk Campus is considered to be the best engineering college in Nepal. Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,Industrial Engineering, Agricultural Engineering,Geo-matics Engineering and Architecture are the courses being offered and Automobile Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering are the two new courses soon to be offered by the campus.Along with Bachelors and Masters in Engineering, PhD is also being run in the Pulchowk Campus. More than 16,000 students from around the world participate in the Entrance examination conducted by IOE which is the selection criteria for all the colleges running under its affiliation.
Nepal Engineering College (NEC),Changunarayan Bhaktapur,is the first engineering college in the private sector which offers bachelor and master level courses in Nepal. Architecture, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics and Communication, Electrical and Electronics, Energy Engineering, Civil and Rural Engineering are some of the popular engineering courses in Nepal. While the B.E. Architecture courses are of 5 years duration, other bachelor's degree courses are of 4 years duration. Some engineering colleges in Nepal also offer master's degree courses.