A record high number of Nepalese students applied for No Objection Certificate (NOC) at the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Nepal during the fiscal year 2014/15. As many as 29,380 students applied for the letter from mid-July 2014 to mid-June 2015. Students looking to pursue education abroad (apart from India) need to obtain this certificate from the Ministry of Education in order to obtain foreign exchange for education purposes. It is estimated that over 80 percent of the students that receive the NOC do ultimately travel overseas to the destination applied to.

This year’s figure represents a 4.5 percent growth over last years and an average growth of 25 percent over the last four years. With 9,363 NOCs issued, Japan displaced Australia as the top destination for Nepalese students. 8,692 NOCs were issued for Australia in 2014/15 compared to 11,184 the year before. The number of NOCs issued for the US more than doubled to 3,643 making it the third most preferred destination for Nepalese students.

As per sources in the Ministry of Education, 350 NOCs were issued for the UK. The lower number compared to destinations such as Australia and the USA is attributed to a perceived lack of post-study work opportunities. The changed scenario reflects a need to conduct more targeted marketing in addition to mass brand building exercises. Considering this the British Council SIEM team in Nepal have launched a number of digital marketing services this year to help UK institutions reach prospective Nepalese students in an effective way.

That there is clearly a desire to go abroad and people are willing to spend seems obvious, however it is also evident that a majority of prospective students are looking for demonstrable evidence of return on investment in the shorter term as well. In the absence of a guaranteed post-study work visa UK institutions will need to look at marketing employability by tracking employment in home country or even internationally. There is also an opportunity to capture more niche markets especially in post-graduate or specialisation courses in areas such as industrial design, fashion designing, nursing, and social studies.

Another fact to consider is that Nepal allows local institutions to deliver full degrees in collaboration with foreign degree awarding bodies. Five UK Universities as well as other bodies such as Pearson Edexcel, NCC Education, BTEC, and ACCA are providing taught as well online degrees through local partners. The demand is currently being driven by IT and business related courses but can be expected to spread to more niche areas. Considering the rising cost of studying overseas we can expect that in the medium to long term more Nepalese students seeking quality education will consider options that are both closer to home and less costly.

The British Council SIEM team provides platforms for mass brand building and recruitment but our in country SIEM can also provide more bespoke services to suit individual needs. We also help institutions build local partnerships through events such as the Business specific post-graduate tour and through customised services to institutions such as partner identification and selection and through other services that take advantage of our in-country location, such as quality control. To discuss direct marketing services and opportunities in Nepal please contact Abhinav (Head of SIEM, Nepal). To discuss possibilities for integrated campaigns across the region you can get in touch with Aatreyee (Regional Marketing and Communications Manager, South Asia, SIEM).

Contact details:

Abhinav Shakya

Email: abhinav.shakya@britishcouncil.org.np

Phone: +977-1-4410798 ext 3154

Aatreyee GuhaThakurta

Email: Aatreyee.GuhaThakurta@britishcouncil.org

Phone: +91-33-40074347