List of universities in Nepal


Formal higher learning in Nepal began with the establishment of Tri-Chandra College in 1918, Nepal's first college. Until 1985,Tribhuvan University was its first and only university. The second university to be founded was Nepal Sanskrit University, which was soon followed by Kathmandu University in 1990, and Purbanchal and Pokhara Universities in 1995 and 1996, respectively.

Federal Universities

Federal universities in Nepal are public institutions established and funded by the central government, operating with a national mandate to provide higher education across various disciplines.
The following table lists the sixteenth Federal universities as of 2025, including key details verified from official sources:

Provincial universities

Provincial universities in Nepal emerged following the promulgation of the 2015 Constitution, which empowered provincial governments to establish higher education institutions tailored to regional development needs, such as technical skills, agriculture, and local governance. These universities receive primary funding from provincial budgets, supplemented by minimal national allocations, enabling them to focus on addressing localized educational gaps amid Nepal's federal restructuring. As of 2025, six provincial universities operate, all founded since 2019, marking a rapid expansion in decentralized higher education; however, operational challenges persist for recently established ones, including limited infrastructure and enrollment. None of these institutions currently hold PhD-granting authority, prioritizing undergraduate and emerging graduate programs instead.
The following table lists the six Provincial universities as of 2025, including key details verified from official sources:
No.UniversityAcronymEstablishedLocationProvinceConstituent CampusStudent EnrollmentPh.D. grantingWebsite
1.Manmohan Technical University
MTU2019Morang Koshi0576No
2.Gandaki University
GU2019PokharaGandakiNo
3.Madhesh Agriculture University
MAU2021Saptari MadheshNo
4.Madhesh University
MU2022BirgunjMadheshNo
5.Lumbini Technological University
LTU2022Banke LumbiniNo
6.Bagmati University
BU2024HetaudaBagmatiNo

Autonomous Medical Institute

The following table lists the nine autonomous medical institutes as of 2025, including key details verified from official sources:
No.UniversityAcronymEstablishedLocationProvinceConstituent CampusStudent EnrollmentPh.D. grantingWebsite
1.National Academy of Medical Sciences NAMS1993Kathmandu BagmatiNo
2.B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences BPKIHS1998DharanKoshiYes
3.Patan Academy of Health Sciences PAHS2008PatanBagmatiNo
4.Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences NAIHS2010KathmanduBagmatiNo
5.Karnali Academy of Health Sciences KAHS2011JumlaKarnaliNo
6.Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences PoAHS2016PokharaGandakiNo
7.Rapti Academy of Health Sciences RAHS2017GhorahiLumbiniNo
8.Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences MBAHS2018HetaudaBagmatiNo
9.Madhesh Institute of Health Sciences MIHS2021JanakpurMadheshNo

Universities by state and type

The table below is correct as of 2025.
StateCentral
universities		Province
universities		Deemed
universities		Private
universities		Total
Koshi Province 1113
Madhesh Province 1214
Bagmati Province 5139
Gandaki Province 2114
Lumbini Province 2114
Karnali Province 1012
Sudurpashchim Province 2002
Total146828

Proposed University