Legal education provides a broad set of knowledge on the government, administration and law. The basic objective of legal education is to make students enlightened with the legal concepts and legal institutions along with the ability to solve complex problems with legal reasoning. Law schools and colleges in various parts of Nepal aim to impart broad knowledge to the students seeking a law degree. Moreover, legal education aims to enrich the students with the Nepal’s legal traditions, research, case laws and recent developments in the field.
Discussing career prospects of legal education, a law degree is basically a gateway to the practice in the broader legal profession. A law student upon graduation and requisite entry requirements can be a government lawyer, private lawyer, company secretary, business and firm consultant, in-house counsel, lecturer, legal editor etc. They have a choice to practice criminal law, corporate law, environment law etc. where they can engage in litigation, drafting, advisory services etc. Along with the practice prospects, legal career is considered to have a fine financial prospect as well.
Therefore, as legal career is both dynamic field with large scope as well as intellectually challenging sector, students having interest in the field can grasp the various available opportunities for the further growth.
This article basically aims to cover legal education and the colleges where the students can apply in various level of their study.
The legal education can be pursued in the various level of studies, namely,
a) Ten plus two level
b) Bachelor’s level
c) Master’s level
d) PhD level
Ten plus two level
National Examination Board (NEB) provides the two years program in law in Ten Plus Two (+2) level.
Eligibility: Must have secured at least 1.6 GPA in SEE.
The various colleges in Kathmandu valley have been including law program in their curriculum.
Some of them are listed below:
| Name of the College | Address |
| 1. Aadim National College | Chabahil, Kathmandu |
| 2. Bagmati College | Sukedhara, Kathmandu |
| 3. Hrit Academy | Basundhara, Kathmandu |
| 4. Kathmandu Model Secondary School | Bagbazar, Kathmandu |
| 5. Khwopa Secondary School | Dekocha, Bhaktapur |
| 6. Xavier International College | Kalopul, Kathmandu |
| 7. United Academy | Kumaripati, Lalitpur |
| 8. Triton International College | Subidhanagar, Tinkune |
| 9. Nepal Mega College | Babarmahal, Kathmandu |
| 10. Ripumardini Sainik Mahabidhyalaya | Bansbaari, Kathmandu |
| 11. Canvas International College | Basundhara, Kathmandu |
| 12. Golden Gate International College | New Plaza, Kathmandu |
| 13. South Western College | Basundhara, Kathmandu |
| 14. Kalika Mahavgyan Secondary School | Butwal, Rupandehi |
| 15. Learning Realm International (L.R.I) School | Kalankisthan, Kathmandu |
| 16. Navodit College | Kapurdhara, Kathmandu |
| 17. Pinnacle Academy College | Hospital Road, Lalitpur |
| 18. Uniglobe College | Ganesthan, Kathmandu |
| 19. Karunanidhi Education Foundation | Pokhara, Kaski |
| 20. Bhanubhakta +2 School of Law | Pokhara, Kaski |
Bachelor Level
In Bachelor level, the available programs are namely:
- BA.LL.B.
- Bachelor of Business Management and Bachelor of Law (BBM-LL.B)
- Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Law (BEc-LL.B)
- LL.B.
| Program | BA.LL.B. | BBM.LL.B. | BEc-LL.B. | LL.B. |
| Year | Five Years | Five Years | Five Years | Three Years |
| Eligibility | Completion of Ten plus two level or equivalent in any stream. | Completion of Ten plus two level or equivalent in any stream. | Completion of Ten plus two level or equivalent in any stream. | Completion of Bachelors’ degree in any discipline or an equivalent Bachelor degree program. |
Various colleges affiliated to universities in Nepal provide Bachelor’s in law program within and outside the Kathmandu Valley.
| S.N. | University | Affiliated Colleges | Programs |
| 1. | Tribhuvan University | a) Nepal Law Campus, Exhibition Road, Kathmandu b) National Law College, Sanepa, Lalitpur c) Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara d) Hari Khetan Bahumukhi Campus, Birgunj e) Mahendra Bindeshwori Campus, Rajbiraj, Birgunj f) Mahendra Multiple Campus, Baglung | a) BA.LL.B. b) LL.B. |
| 2. | Purwanchal University | a) Kathmandu School of Law, Dadhikot, Bhaktapur b) Bright Vision College Biratnagar c) Chakrabarti Habi Education Academy, Bijulibazar, Kathmandu, Nepal | BA.LL.B. |
| 3. | Kathmandu University | a) Kathmandu University School of Law | a) BBM-LL.B. b) BeC-LL.B. |
| 4. | Mid-Western University | Mid-Western University School of Law | BA.LL.B. |
| 5. | Lumbini Buddhist University | Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences | BA.LL.B |
| 6. | Rajarshi Janak University | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences | BA.LL.B |
| 7. | Pokhara University | Pokhara University | BA.LL.B |
| 8. | Gandaki University | Gandaki University | BA.LL.B |
| 9. | Far-Western University | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences | BA.LL.B |
| 10 | Open University | Faculty of Management | LL.B. |
Entrance System:
- Tribhuvan University
- The applicants seeking admission, except foreigners, should pass the entrance examination that is conducted by the office of the Dean, Faculty of Law, TU. The University allocates the seat on the colleges based on the ranking system.
- Entrance exam is be taken on the basis of subjective and objective test. The language of entrance exam is either English or Nepali.
- Purwanchal University
- The entrance examination for the colleges under this University is taken by the colleges themselves. Based on the seat limitation and allocation under the policy of the college, the entrance examination is conducted as subjective and objective test followed by an interview.
- Kathmandu University
- The entrance examination for Kathmandu University School of Law upon their policy of seat limitation and allocations, is conducted by the University itself based on subjective and objective test followed by interview.
- Mid-Western University
- The University itself based on subjective, objective test followed by interviews conducts the entrance examination for Mid-Western University School of Law upon their policy of seat limitation and allocations.
- Lumbini Buddhist University
- The entrance examination is conducted by the University itself based on subjective and objective test followed by interview The candidate must have passed 10+2, PCL or equivalent level in any stream from a recognized institution or board. Only the candidates having minimum 45% marks or minimum D+ Grade in each subject are eligible for admission after qualifying entrance examination.
- Rajarshi Janak University
- The candidate must have passed 10+2, PCL or equivalent level in any stream from a recognized institution or board. Only the candidate having minimum 45% marks or minimum D+ Grade in each subject is eligible for admission after qualifying entrance examination.
Entrance System
- Tribhuvan University:
- Semester System
- Purwanchal University
- Yearly System
- Kathmandu University
- Semester System
- Mid-Western University
- Yearly System
- Lumbini Buddhist University
- Semester System
- Rajarshi Janak University
- Semester System
- Far-Western University
- Yearly System
- Open University
- Yearly System
Masters Level
Masters in law (LL.M.) in Nepal is two-year program where the applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in law. All LL.M. programs in Nepal is based on full time session.
The students willing to apply for the LL.M. based on their subject interest can visit the college affiliated to the following Universities.
| S.N | Universities | Subjects | Examination System |
| 1. | Tribhuvan University | a) LL.M. in Business Law b) LL.M. in Public International Law c) LL.M. in Criminal Law d) LL.M. in Environment Law | Semester System |
| 2. | Kathmandu University | a) LL.M. in Infrastructure and Energy Law/ Masters in Energy and Infrastructure Law (MEIL) | Semester System |
| 3. | Purwanchal University | a) LL.M. in Human Rights and Gender Justice b) LL.M. in Criminal Law and Justice c) LL.M. in Business and International Trade Law d) LL.M. in International Law | Yearly System |
PhD Level
Only Tribhuvan University is operating a program of “Doctor of Philosophy” in law where the applicants can apply upon the fulfillment of entrance examination.
Aspirants of the legal field can use the aforementioned avenues to pursue legal education in Nepal and gain necessary skill and expertise to build a career in the legal profession.
This article is intended to provide a general overview of the subject matter only and is not intended for advertisement or solicitation. The readers are advised to seek help of related professionals for information on particular matters.
