Center for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute

QUICK LINKS

Check out our

2012 Summer Courses!

A Quick Look at
Online Learning

Insurance

All students at CBS who are not Nepali citizens must have adequate medical insurance. At the time of enrollment, students are therefore required to demonstrate proof that they are covered by an insurance policy for the period of their studies. Please bring a copy of your insurance card as well as the emergency contact phone/ E-mail contacts for office records. Although in Nepal, it is not possible to purchase long-term insurance that covers international students, a list of travel insurance providers can be found at www.hasbrouck.org/articles/insurance.html. Please note that none of these are affiliated nor endorsed by CBS.

Visa

International students enrolled at the Centre for Buddhist Studies are eligible for Student Visas as long as they remain in good standing with the program. Students should obtain a Tourist Visa from a Nepalese Embassy in their home country before arriving in Kathmandu or they may obtain a Tourist Visa at their point of entry into Nepal. During orientation week the process for obtaining a Student Visa will be explained to all students and they will be assisted through the application process.

Please Note: A Nepalese Visa for BA and MA Students currently costs 20US$ per month. For those enrolled as a Visiting Student, the Nepalese Visa currently costs 50US$ per month.

To obtain a Student Visa, please carefully read the following information pertaining to Bank Accounts and the required Non-Objection Letter.

Bank Accounts

To get a Student Visa in Nepal, one must show proof of having a minimum of US$ 3,000 deposited in a Nepali bank (US$ 5,000 if a visa is also needed for one's spouse). Opening a bank account can at times be very time consuming and prolong the entire visa process. The longest delay is often the time it takes Nepali banks to clear funds. Both overseas personal checks and traveler's checks can take more than one month to clear. One thing to keep in mind when depositing cash dollars is that Nepali Banks charge 2% commission on the deposit

Important Note: Until you have received the bank statement showing your balance of $ 3,000 (which at times may take up to one month) you cannot spend the money in your account. You will therefore need additional funds to cover living expenses during this period. To facilitate the process, you are required to do one of the following procedures:

Bring US$ 3,010 (bank fees apply), couples US$ 5,010, or the equivalent in Euros, to fully fund the account. This must be cash money. Checks or traveler's checks will not be accepted by the bank.

Bring US$ 510 to open the account and be prepared to immediately wire the remaining funds into the new account.

Non-Objection Letter

Furthermore, to obtain a Student Visa, students are also required to have a 'Non-Objection' letter from their embassy. This letter must state that your home country embassy has no objection to you (their citizen) studying in Nepal.

Important Note: If your country does not have an embassy or consulate in Kathmandu you must obtain an official government letter from your home country before you come to Nepal. While the US Embassy in Nepal provides the letter free of charge, most others charge a fee. Aside from US citizens, it may therefore be easier and less expensive for you to get this document from your government before coming to Nepal.

Living Expenses

To help students calculate their financial needs, the table below shows an estimate of costs for incoming students for the academic year (Fall and Spring semesters) 2011-2012. This allows for an average level of comfort but not luxurious living.

Student Visa Fees - BA and MA students (20US$ / month)	US$ 160
Books and supplies (average student)	US$ 200
Room and board (US$ 250 / month)	US$ 2,000
Annual seminar fee (Fall semester only)	US$ 65
Optional fieldtrips (Bodhgaya, Lumbini, etc)	US$ 250
Total	US$ 2675

Financial Aid

To encourage all potential applicants, CBS aims to keep tuition expenses as low as possible without sacrificing quality of education. In general, students are advised to research other financing options, such as national government grants and foundation grants. For example, several governments provide full or partial grants to students of their countries. As a degree-granting institution, CBS does expect that students bear the bulk of the responsibility for financing this education and it is hoped that students view the investment in the CBS program as a worthwhile endeavour. Nonetheless, CBS would very much like to reward top students with merit based scholarships, and also realizes that some candidates will have difficulty meeting tuition costs. Thanks to the generosity of several donors we have a limited amount of financial assistance available for students.

The following Financial Aid programs are available:
1. Regular Scholarship
2. Ordained Sangha Scholarship
3. Translator Training Scholarship
4. Work Study

1. Regular Scholarship
RYI is pleased to offer a limited number of merit-based scholarships to students each year through the Khyentse Foundation-Rangjung Yeshe Institute (KF-RYI) Scholarship Fund. Awards are made on the basis of the following general eligibility criteria:

The value of the scholarships awarded will normally be between 30 - 50% of the tuition fee. Awards are normally made for two consecutive semesters, starting in the Fall.
Scholarships are open to all Nepali, SAARC and international students studying in Degree Programs.
International and SAARC students are eligible to apply for an award only after they have completed a minimum of two semesters as full-time students (minimum 12 credits).
Nepali students may apply for a regular scholarship before their first semester of study in a degree program.
Scholarships are not available for Summer Program courses.
All scholarship students must be in good standing with the Institute.
International and SAARC students should be enrolled in, and be attending, classes for a minimum of 12 credits in the semester during which their application is made. Please note that a failure to pass any class during the semester in which an application is made will render the student ineligible for an award.
All students must register for classes equal to a minimum of 12 credits in the semester for which an award is sought. Please note that the failure to pass any class during the Fall semester, or failing the class attendance requirement, will render a student ineligible to receive an award in the following semester.
Awards are made primarily on the basis of achieved academic performance. Students should have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.2 from their two previous semesters.

Applications for Regular Scholarships should be made online via the Student Portal during the month of April. The closing date for applications is April 30th.
Applicants will normally receive email confirmation within two working days that their application has been received. Decisions on the applications received will be made in May with each applicant being informed of the outcome by June 15th each year.

2. Ordained Sangha Scholarship
RYI is pleased to make available a limited number of study scholarships each year for members of the Ordained Sangha. These awards are provided by the Khyentse Foundation-Rangjung Yeshe Institute (KF-RYI) Scholarship Fund and are open to:

BA and MA Program students from Nepal and other SAARC countries.
International students studying in the BA Program only.
Students who satisfy the above criteria and enroll for a minimum of 15 credits per semester in both the Fall and Spring semesters in each year of their studies.
The value of awards will normally be 100% of the total tuition fees for the full course duration.

Please note that an Ordained Sangha Scholarship student failing a class in any semester will not be eligible for a scholarship in the following semester.
Applications for Ordained Sangha Scholarships are accepted in April of each year. Write to the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and request the application form any time. The deadline for applications is April 30th.

Scholarship applicants will normally receive email confirmation within two working days that their application has been received. Decisions on the applications received will be made in May with each applicant being informed of the outcome by June 15th each year.

3. Translator Training Scholarship
RYI is pleased to offer a partial scholarship of $3,000 for the Translator Training Program (TTP). This award is open to all enrolled TTP students. Applications are accepted online through the Student Portal while TTP applications are open.

4. Work-study
Rangjung Yeshe Institute recognizes that financial constraints can often limit the opportunities for students to meet their study goals. For this reason, the Institute is pleased to offer a limited number of work study positions each year designed to offset the costs of course fees. Work-study positions are provided under the following conditions:

Work-study positions cover up to a maximum US$ 675 of the total tuition fee each semester.
Applicants should have skills that match the requirements of the work-study jobs on offer.
Work-study students taking 15 credits a semester are expected to work a total of 70 hours in the same semester; students taking 12 credits a semester are expected to work 56 hours in the same semester.
Aside from their assigned work-study job, students are also expected to help out with other tasks as requested. Typical additional tasks include preparing the shrine hall for Saturday morning teachings, re-arranging classroom furniture and posting promotional fliers around Kathmandu.

RYI requires work-study students to meet their work commitments throughout the semester, including during the run up to examinations. As such, students considering applying for work-study are advised to carefully consider whether they have sufficient time to meet the associated commitments.
Work-study applicants should meet the following criteria:

Have a minimum 2.0 GPA and at least 80% class attendance.
Be able to demonstrate evidence of clear financial need.
Be enrolled in and attending 12 credits during the semester in which they apply except for new students who have not been previously enrolled in RYI.
Be enrolled in and attending a minimum of 12 credits during the semester in which the work-study will be carried out.
Please note that failing a class during the semester in which an application is made will make one ineligible to receive a work-study concession.

Applications for work-study should be made online through the Student Portal. The deadline for applying for the Fall semester is April 30th, and for the Spring semester, November 30th.

Work-study positions are not available for the Summer Program.

Applicants will normally receive email confirmation within two working days that their application has been received. Awards will be made in the month following the application deadline, and each applicant will be informed of the outcome by June 15th for the Fall semester and December 31st for the Spring semester.

[ Back ]