Foreign Affiliated Colleges Like Islington and Herald Face Stricter Rules!

Nepal's new Foreign Educational Program Rules bring strict oversight to foreign-affiliated colleges like Islington College and Herald College, covering land, permits, security deposits, and renewals. Here's what institutions must follow now.

The Government of Nepal has introduced a new legal framework to regulate foreign-affiliated education in the country, called the Foreign Educational Program (Operation and Regulation) Rules (“the Regulation”), 2026. The Ministry of Education and Sports formally published the Regulation in the Nepal Gazette on Asadh 25, 2083 BS, using the authority granted to it under Section 19 of the Education Act, 2028. It runs across 10 chapters and 39 rules, covering Prior Consent of the Government, Infrastructure, Permit, Renewal, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reevaluation, Affiliation, and Scholarship.

The main objective of this law is to protect students and parents from substandard institutions. It does this by standardizing how these programs operate, ensuring financial transparency, and confirming that the degrees offered by local colleges in partnership with foreign universities actually hold value internationally. Monitoring of such programs was previously scattered across different bodies. The Regulation brings this under one process, so the government can hold local colleges accountable while making sure that foreign-affiliated degrees maintain proper academic standards. This applies broadly across the sector, including foreign affiliated colleges like Islington College and colleges like Herald College, which will need to work within this same framework.

The Regulation also creates a Monitoring, Evaluation and Recommendation Committee made up of 9 members, including the Secretary of the Ministry, a representative from the University Grants Commission, two nominated Deans or Heads of Universities, one nominated Director from an educational institute, and one Joint Secretary each from the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the School Education Division, and the Higher Education Division. We look at this Committee in more detail later in this article.

But before we dive into that, let’s look at some Nepali colleges that are offering foreign affiliated degrees.

Some Foreign Affiliated Colleges Operating in Nepal 

Understanding which institutions actually operate under this framework helps put the requirements above into context. Below is a look at some foreign affiliated colleges currently running programs in Nepal, along with their foreign university affiliation, location, and the programs they teach.

Islington College

Islington College is affiliated with London Metropolitan University, and also offers a direct articulation route with the University of Northampton for some students. Located in Kamal Pokhari, Kathmandu, it teaches computing, computer networking and IT security, multimedia technologies, BBA, accounting & finance, and MSc IT / MSc IT and Applied Security.

King's College

King's College is affiliated with Westcliff University. Based in Babarmahal, Kathmandu, it offers business, IT, and graduate programs through Westcliff University.

ISMT College

ISMT College is affiliated with the University of Sunderland, with Pearson/Edexcel-linked pathway programs also commonly offered. Its network includes campuses in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and Itahari, teaching computing, business, hospitality, and engineering pathways.

Herald College Kathmandu

Herald College Kathmandu is affiliated with the University of Wolverhampton. Located in Bishalnagar, Handigaun, Kathmandu, it offers business, computing, and related UK degree pathways.

The British College

The British College runs UK university partner programs, with UK degrees delivered in Nepal. Based at Trade Tower, Thapathali, Kathmandu, it offers BBA, MBA, MSc International Business Management, BSc (Hons) Computing, MSc Information Management, and public health programs.

Presidential Graduate School / Presidential College

Presidential Graduate School, also known as Presidential College, is widely associated with University of Bedfordshire-linked programs. Based in Kathmandu, it offers business, IT, and management programs.

AITM College

AITM College offers university-linked foreign degree pathways. Based in Kathmandu, it offers business and IT programs.

NAMI College

NAMI College is affiliated with Liverpool John Moores University. Located in Jorpati, Kathmandu, it offers business, computing, hospitality, and engineering programs.

And the list does not end here. A number of other foreign affiliated colleges and universities operate across Kathmandu and beyond, each bringing its own set of international degree programs to Nepali students. Regardless of size or affiliation, every one of these institutions now falls under the same regulatory structure. The next section breaks down exactly what that structure requires, starting with the prior consent every foreign-affiliated program must secure before it can even begin. 

Requirements for Affiliation

The first requirement before running a foreign-affiliated education program is the prior consent of the Education Ministry. This holds true for any foreign affiliated colleges like Islington College looking to bring in a new program. To obtain this prior consent, an institution must submit the following details:

• Proof of establishment for the concerned university in the concerned country
• Basis for foreign universities to operate educational institutions in other countries
• Basis for such a curriculum to be taught in Nepal
• Plans regarding the proposed subject, total students, and manpower
• Whether it is of a profit-distributing nature or not
• Location, area, and ownership of the land
• Global Ranking Requirement: Affiliated foreign universities must consistently rank within the top 1,000 institutions globally 
• Evidence of prior permission granted to the proposed foreign university to operate programs in Nepal
• Evidence of having fulfilled the criteria identical to those prescribed by domestic universities for equivalent programs, etc.

Once the Government receives the application, it examines whether the requirements under Rule 3(2) of the Regulation have been met. If the application is found to be legitimate, the government grants consent for the affiliation.

Land Requirement After Consent

After receiving consent, the institution must acquire land as follows. This land requirement applies to all foreign-affiliated institutions, including colleges like Herald College:

After receiving consent, the institution must build the required infrastructure within 5 years and run its programme. The infrastructure must also meet the required preconditions and go through an Environmental Impact Assessment.

Requirements for Permission Letter

To run the program, the institution must obtain the Permission Letter. Colleges such as Islington College follow the same process. This requires an application containing the following:

• Evidence of Prior Consent
• Evidence of fulfilment of the Land & Infrastructure Related Requirement
• Qualification of the Director
• Certificate of Company’s Registration, MoA, and Regulations
• PAN, Certified copy of Tax Clearance Certificate, and Audit Report
• Agreement between the Foreign University and the Institute
• Quality Assurance (“QA”) Certificate of the Affiliate University 
• Details of physical and educational Infrastructures
• Official letter regarding the university’s academic programs, duration, subjects, level of teaching, curriculum, credit hours, workload, and examination system
• Detailed proposal, including a feasibility study on educational, physical, financial, and human resources, etc.

Once the application is received, the committee studies it and recommends to the ministry whether permission or approval should be granted. The committee can also ask for additional documents or visit the site if it considers this necessary.

How the Permission Process Moves Forward

Limitation

The Government only provides Permission for two programs at a time. If an institution runs programs affiliated with two or more universities, it must manage them so that it is affiliated with only one university at a time. Otherwise, the ministry can cancel the permission for one of the universities.

Renewal

• The institution must apply for renewal at least 6 months before its permission expires. This includes institutions like Herald College. The renewal application must contain the following documents:
• Original voucher for the revenue amount deposited as per the number of students involved.
• Copy of the audit report of the previous Fiscal Year.
• Copy of the Tax Clearance Certificate of the Previous Year
• Program-wise Details of Enrolled Students
• Details of the Qualifications of Teachers
• Programme-wise details of Fees
• Up-to-date details of the Scholarship, etc.

Once the Ministry receives the application, it studies it and, if needed, forms a monitoring team. After monitoring, the team submits a report stating whether the permit can be renewed, or what reforms should be made. Renewal, once approved, is granted for a term of 5 years.

Renewal Timeline

Monitoring, Evaluation and Recommendation Committee

As mentioned earlier, the Regulation creates a 9-member Monitoring, Evaluation, and Recommendation Committee to study applications and oversee institutions running foreign-affiliated programs. Its composition is as follows:

Revocation of Permission

The ministry can revoke the permission of the institutions based on the following grounds:

• If the requirements mandated by the Regulation are not met,
• If the affiliation of the University is cancelled or ended,
• If the Obligation and documents required as per the regulations are not met,
• If the Credit mandated by the University is not met,
• If a renewal application with appropriate documents is not submitted,
• If the Institute’s name, university, program, or place of operation is changed without the permission of the Ministry,
• If a program other than the permitted is being run by the institution,
• If the security deposit or student fee is not made in time, etc.

Before revoking permission for one or all programmes, the Regulation requires that the institution be given an opportunity to justify its actions. If an institute does not file for renewal within the required time, it can still apply for renewal until the end of Magh of the next fiscal year, provided it pays an additional charge of 1 lakh rupees per programme per month. If it fails to do even this, its permission will be revoked.

What Happens if Renewal is Missed

Change of Name, Affiliation, Location and Programme

An educational institution can change the name of its Institution, University, Programme, or the Programme’s duration and affiliation, after filing an application and obtaining prior permission from the Ministry. The place of operation can only be changed if the institution wants to shift to a location in its own ownership, or if it needs to change due to natural disasters. The Institute can add a programme from a QA accredited university with the permission of the Ministry.

Security Deposit

The security deposit requirement, which applies to institutions like Islington College, is as follows (which can only be withdrawn with the approval of the ministry 

The Overall Process

The journey from an initial proposal to running a foreign-affiliated program, and keeping it running, follows the sequence below.

Final Thoughts

The Foreign Educational Program (Operation and Regulation) Rules, 2026 give Nepal a single, structured process for foreign-affiliated education, from the first application for prior consent through to renewal and, where necessary, revocation. For institutions already running such programs, including foreign affiliated colleges like Islington College and colleges like Herald College, or those planning to bring in a foreign affiliation, understanding these requirements early can help avoid delays or penalties later. If you are considering entering into or continuing a foreign university affiliation in Nepal, it would be prudent to review your current standing against these Rules and seek legal advice where the requirements are unclear.