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.

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.

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.

To help students calculate their financial needs, the table below shows an estimate of costs for incoming BA students for the academic year 2009-2010 (in US$). This allows for an average level of comfort but not luxurious living.

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 endeavor. 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.

CBS is pleased to provide merit-based scholarships to students through the Khyentse Foundation-Rangjung Yeshe Institute Scholarship Fund, which each year offers a limited number of scholarships to students at CBS. These awards are open to both local and international students at RYI, and are awarded primarily on the basis of academic performance. Students are eligible to apply for the scholarship after completing two semesters as a CBS Student. To request an application, please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Applications must also be submitted with an accompanying essay.  Scholarships are not available for the Summer Program.

The Khyentse Foundation-Rangjung Yeshe Institute Scholarship is awarded for two consecutive semesters, beginning in September.  Applications for scholarships will be accepted during the month of April only, with applications due on April 30^th.