Studying in Nepal

I think it's a great idea for students in some fields to come here to Nepal to get a degree. I would not recommend it for the hard sciences, but for social studies and such it's pretty amazing in a couple of ways.

The school system is horrible here for the Nepali, but it seems like a piece of cake for an English speaking person. I wrote about it, the good and the bad, in my eBook, Nepal: A Tourist's Manual, but here are a few things to consider.

1. All text books are written in English, even though the teachers do not always speak fluently in English.

2. All exams are in English and are essay questions. You will be expected to write at least a page for each answer, but since many test reviewers do not speak English very well, it's incredibly easy to fake it and still match your peers. Sometimes they even have questions from the footnotes and there are few, if any, quizzes or exams during the year. You will only have one exam for each class and possibly a term paper or project. Nobody scores in the 90's and few score in the 80's. It's literally mostly percentile rather than grade.

3. The prices are a real bargain at around $300 a year with student visa around $1,500. A student could get a hostel and food for well under $500 a month.

Check with your country's requirements for international colleges to see if Nepal's government university will work in your country as a qualified degree. If your degree requires a license you may need to take too many classes back home to pass the licensing, so be careful. This isn't for everyone, but for many of the soft sciences I think it's a real bargain and a great experience.

Many NGO's and companies take internships, so if you have completed your studies and just need an internship, Nepal has many opportunities to do some good and learn to put into practice what you've learned. There will be a $7 or so for bed and food charge per day throughout Nepal, but it is quite easy to get an internship placement in Nepal. Our NGO takes interns and volunteers, as well. Here's a blog post from a volunteer who worked in our village: http://bit.ly/2cxTCyg

One other educational opportunity that I didn't mention is in the metaphysical realm. Yoga and meditation teaching certifications and the like are often a bargain, but sometimes I can't believe the prices they charge.

If you are from the US or another country without health care you could fly here, get your teeth fixed, get some medical tests done and still save money. So, if you could get a yoga teachers certificate while you are here I think it would be a real bonus.