Tribhuvan University, Nepal’s oldest and largest university, is struggling with dwindling student enrollment at the postgraduate level. Central departments and several major campuses face a severe lack of students in various programs.
The Dean’s Office has been forced to conduct entrance examinations multiple times, yet some programs remain undersubscribed. Top-tier campuses, such as Trichandra and Ratnarajya (RR), have each discontinued one postgraduate subject due to a lack of students. Science-focus campuses Askal and Sanothimi, specializing in education, are similarly struggling.
The university typically requires at least 10 students in a semester-based program but might allow fewer if permanent teachers cannot find sufficient work. This creates challenges for departments that cannot hire part-time instructors due to low enrollment.
The Central Department of Education offers morning and afternoon thematic programs, many of which are drastically undersubscribed. Only 78 total students are enrolled across several subjects. Some programs have as few as one or two students.
While some departments like English and Political Science report sufficient enrollment, others struggle. Linguistics and Hindi each only admitted a few new students this year. One program in the Trichandra Campus closed due to zero enrollment. Ratna Rajyalakshmi Campus discontinued its anthropology program.
The causes of this decline in postgraduate students are uncertain. Campuses with dwindling enrollment cite various factors, but the overall trend at Tribhuvan University is a significant concern.
A detailed report is published in Nepali by Online Khabar
