Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) recently urged students planning to study abroad to use only renewed consultancy firms after publishing a list of approved operators for the 2025/26 fiscal year.
The announcement came days after police raids on dozens of education consultancies across Kathmandu Valley. Reports suggest authorities detained 69 individuals and launched investigations into alleged fraud, document falsification and unregistered operations as part of a wider campaign by the ministry and Nepal Police to reform and regulate the sector.
Reports also suggest some consultancies are accused of misleading students about overseas study opportunities, including promising placements that never materialised or misrepresenting the institutions students were being sent to.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Education Consultancy Entrepreneurs of Nepal said it supports efforts to clean up the sector but urged authorities not to create “unnecessary fear” among legitimate consultancy entrepreneurs.
The developments come amid record outbound mobility from Nepal, with the number of no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued for overseas study rising from 98,997 in 2023 to 123,092 in 2025. Around 4,000 consultancies are also believed to be operating across the country, according to University World News.
As per local media reports, only around 1,000 consultancies had complied with previous renewal requirements, with approval for non-renewed operators automatically revoked, while the emergence of provincial registration systems has added further complexity to the regulatory landscape.
Reports suggest weak oversight has enabled some consultancies to facilitate overseas employment under the guise of study abroad, prompting calls for stronger regulation.
“I believe any action taken against consultancies involved in fraud, document falsification, student exploitation, or other unlawful activities is justified and necessary,” Roshan Ghimire, founder and managing director of Gen Z Global Visa and Education Services, told The PIE News.
“Students and their families invest significant financial and emotional resources into international education, and those who deliberately mislead students should be held accountable.”
However, Ghimire cautioned against viewing the recent enforcement actions as representative of the entire sector.
“Genuine education consultants are not simply recruiters working for commission. At their best, they help students identify suitable study pathways, understand visa requirements, assess career outcomes, and make informed decisions about one of the biggest investments they will make in their future.
“Nepal has many professional and ethical consultancies that have supported students successfully for years. In fact, the lack of effective regulation has often hurt reputable operators, as they have had to compete with those engaging in misleading or unethical practices. Stronger oversight, if implemented fairly, should help professionalise the sector and strengthen trust.”
Deepak Khadka, founder and CMO of Franklin Education, said Nepal’s consultancy licensing framework currently operates across both federal and provincial systems, creating regulatory complexities that authorities are seeking to address.
Khadka noted that while the ministry has published a list of 1,459 approved operators, MoEST data suggests only around 760 agencies have completed their most recent licence renewal, a gap authorities are seeking to address through reforms.
“We understand this gap is something the government is actively seeking to address through forthcoming legislation, which may include a financial deposit requirement as a condition of renewal, with the broader aim of bringing the number of operating agencies to a more manageable and quality-assured level,” he said.
“In the meantime, we would encourage students to verify an agency’s current renewal status and ask for documentation before engaging their services.”
Khadka said the implementation of the measures had created uncertainty for some agencies operating within the law, while disruption to government systems during last year’s “Gen Z movement” had affected certain renewal records.
“We hope authorities will take this context into consideration as they review compliance,” he said.
Ultimately, the goal should be to build an international education ecosystem that is transparent, ethical, student-centred, and trusted by students, parents, institutions, and regulators alike
Roshan Ghimire, Gen Z Global Visa and Education Services
The crackdown comes amid wider reforms to Nepal’s international education system, including proposed changes to no-objection certificates, consultancy oversight and student outcome tracking.
According to sources, previously announced agent monitoring measures and NOC priority sector policies are expected to be introduced in the coming weeks as Nepal seeks to strengthen governance in international education and position itself as an emerging study destination.
To help strengthen Nepal’s international education sector, Ghimire called for stronger digital monitoring, regular compliance reviews and greater transparency around student outcomes, while backing the government’s proposed consultancy grading framework.
“Ultimately, the goal should be to build an international education ecosystem that is transparent, ethical, student-centred, and trusted by students, parents, institutions, and regulators alike,” he stated.
For Khadka, effective regulation must also be collaborative, with structured dialogue needed between the ministry and professional associations such as ECAN, FECON and NECA, whose members collectively serve the vast majority of students.
“Collaborative regulation, built on mutual trust and shared goals, tends to be far more effective and sustainable than top-down action alone. We believe the associations are ready and willing to engage constructively,” he added.
