Tribhuvan University (TU; Nepali: त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest and the largest university in Nepal. It offers 1,000 undergraduate and 500 postgraduate programs across a wide range of disciplines.[4] Additionally, the institution has 62 constituent campuses and over 1,080 affiliated colleges across the country.[5]
Established on 25 June 1959 (or 11 Ashar 2016 BS),[6] Tribhuvan University is the oldest and largest university in Nepal[7]. The university was named after the late King Tribhuvan. In its early years, all the postgraduate classes were held at Tripureshwor Campus, where the administrative office was also located. It was only in 1967 that the university was relocated to its main campus in Kirtipur – an ancient town about 5 km south-west of the city of Kathmandu. The university site, spread over 154.77 hectares, constitutes the Central Administrative Office and the Central Campus.[8]
Since its inception, the state-owned university has expanded its programmes. There are five technical institutes and four general faculties. The university offers 115 courses for the technical proficiency certificate level. TU offers 1079 courses at Bachelor's level and 1000 courses at Master's level. It offers PhD degrees in the technical institutes and faculties.
Tribhuvan University ran its programmes only through its constituent campuses before 1980. With the increasing number of students seeking higher education, it was not possible to accommodate all the students in the constituent campuses. This situation led to the establishment of colleges in the private sector because the constituent campuses alone could not meet the demand. From 1979 to 1980, TU started providing affiliation to private colleges. As of April 2016, 1,084 private and public colleges were affiliated with TU.[9]
In the 2014–2015 academic session 405,341 students were enrolled in TU academic programmes. 148,141 (36.55%) students study in its 60 constituent campuses including 38 central departments, while 257,200 (63.45%) students study in 1,053 affiliated colleges.[10][citation needed]
Student enrollment and educational quality
Tribhuvan University is the leading University in Nepal. Many colleges are affiliated with Tribhuvan University. In 1971, all the community colleges were part of Tribhuvan University. The University has the largest number of full-time enrollments in the world. The 49th graduation ceremony of Tribhuvan University was on 18 December 2023, in Kathmandu, Nepal. The registrar of Tribhuvan University said more than 73000 students were graduating at that time. The significant number of graduates made Tribhuvan University hold a Guinness World Record.[11]
Although the education system of Tribhuvan University has produced many graduates, many of them still need to get jobs in the market. They cannot find jobs in Nepal, so they go abroad to look for financial opportunities. Nepal's Public colleges are government-funded, and community colleges are privately funded. Both types of colleges are university-oriented and implement the university curriculum and university exam system. The University's education and services, such as business education, employment, training, and vocational education, are not up to date with new technology and career preparation.[12]
TU has 7,841 teaching faculty and 7,413 non-teaching staff including the support staff in its constituent campuses. The number of total employees is 15,254.[13][citation needed]
Tribhuvan University is ranked in the top 1201-1500 universities in the world as per the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2024, published by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine. It is ranked among the 251-300 best universities of Asia.[14] It is ranked at 6676 in the world and 2nd in the country as per the 4icu Organisation of University Ranking.[15]
The university administers its science and technology programs, such as BSc, BE, MBBS, etc., through its technical institutes. There are five technical institutes at the university, each taking care of a specific domain within the field of science and technology education.
There are four faculties and a total of 40 associated central departments at the university:[16]
Hostels at Tribhuvan University
Hostels are available for up to five hundred students at Tribhuvan University; four are for male students, and four are for female students. An identification hostel card was provided to make the hostels more organized. Students who come from poor families or remote areas are given the privilege to live in the hostels.[17]
The free student union at Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University also has a free student union as another facility. This free student union has established the rights and interests of students who come to study at the University and to solve students' problems. The committee of the students' union has to be elected at the University. The University students who are affiliated with different political parties vote for their supporter leaders. The student union election is held every two years. Regardless of winning by embracing the idea of any party, the student union works to solve problems for all students.[18]
TU has 62 constituent campuses. The following is a partial list of constituent colleges of the university:[19][20]
TU is government-financed but still an autonomous organization.[2] The head of the government, the prime minister, is its chancellor.[21]
Tribhuvan University has the following research centers:[22]
The country's largest university has 61 constituent and over 1,100 private and community affiliated colleges.
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