How to Apply for Nepal Entrance Exams: IOE, MECEE, CMAT, KU Guide

Every year between roughly Ashadh and Bhadra (mid-June to early September), tens of thousands of Nepali students who have just completed Class 12 (10+2) race to submit online entrance applications. Each faculty and university runs its own examination and its own web portal, so there is no single national form. Missing a deadline on one portal usually means waiting an entire academic year, which makes understanding each exam's exact procedure critical.

The four systems most search-queried each season are the Institute of Engineering (IOE) under Tribhuvan University for BE/B.Arch, the Medical Education Commission's MECEE-BL for MBBS/BDS and allied health programs, Tribhuvan University's Faculty of Management CMAT for BBA and related degrees, and Kathmandu University's admission portal for engineering, science, and management tests. Agriculture and forestry aspirants apply separately through Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU).

This page consolidates the application steps for all of these into one accurate reference. It covers required documents, the correct official portals, fees, photo and signature specifications, payment gateways, deadlines, admit-card download, and exam-center selection. Because dates and exact fees can change with each year's notice, always cross-check the specific published notice for your cycle before paying, but the process and portals below have been stable across recent years.

Most Nepali entrance portals ask for the same core inputs, so preparing them once saves time across multiple applications. Have your Class 12 (NEB or equivalent) marksheet or grade-sheet, symbol number and registration details, a citizenship certificate or national ID, and an active mobile number and email address ready before you start. Portals typically time out, so gather everything in advance rather than mid-form.

Digital photo and signature files trip up more applicants than any other step. Each portal has a strict specification: the IOE, for example, requires a recently taken 350 by 350 pixel color photograph with a clearly recognizable face on a plain background, and it rejects other sizes. As a general rule, use a recent passport-style color photo on a plain background and a clean scan of your signature in black ink on white paper, saved as JPG within the portal's file-size limit.

Payment is almost always digital. Nepali entrance portals accept eSewa, Khalti, IME Pay and Connect IPS, and several also accept bank vouchers or branch deposits (the IOE, for instance, lists Siddhartha Bank and BankSmart alongside the wallets). Keep the transaction or voucher number, because you often must enter it to complete submission and it is your proof of payment if anything fails mid-transaction.

The Institute of Engineering entrance for Bachelor of Engineering (BE) and Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) is administered by IOE's Entrance Examination Board. Applications open on entrance.ioe.edu.np, where you create an account, complete the personal and academic sections, and upload your photo and signature to the exact specification before paying. Eligibility generally requires having studied Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Class 11-12 (or PCL/diploma equivalent) with a minimum grade in each subject; confirm the precise cutoff in your year's notice.

The application fee in recent cycles has been Rs. 2,500, payable through Siddhartha Bank branches, BankSmart, Connect IPS, eSewa, Khalti or IME Pay. After payment you enter the voucher or transaction number, choose your preferred exam center and shift where offered, and print the acknowledgement. The entrance is a single objective (multiple-choice) paper of 100 questions carrying 100 marks; the marking scheme and any negative marking are stated in each year's official notice, so read it carefully before the exam.

It is important not to confuse IOE's two portals. entrance.ioe.edu.np handles the entrance application and admit card, while admission.ioe.edu.np is the Central Admission portal used after results are published, when qualified candidates fill program and college preferences for merit-based seat allocation across constituent and affiliated campuses. You will use the entrance portal first and the admission portal only after you have a rank.

Since the establishment of the Medical Education Commission (MEC) under the National Medical Education Act, admission to all undergraduate medical and allied-health programs in Nepal is unified through a single Medical Education Common Entrance Examination for Bachelor Level, known as MECEE-BL. This one exam feeds MBBS, BDS, BSc Nursing, BASLP, B.Pharm (where applicable) and B.Perfusion Technology admissions across government and private colleges, including those affiliated to Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University. There is no longer a separate college-run MBBS/BDS test for these seats.

Registration is done online through the Entrance Registration Application (ERA) system at entrance.mec.gov.np. You create an account, complete your details, upload a passport-size photo and required documents, and pay the application fee. Eligibility for MBBS/BDS requires passing Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology and a minimum aggregate of 50% or CGPA 2.4 (or equivalent). If you wish to apply for more than one program stream, the MEC generally requires a separate application and separate fee/voucher for each.

The application fee in the recent cycle was Rs. 4,000 during the normal window and Rs. 6,000 during the late window, so applying early avoids the surcharge. The MECEE-BL paper consists of 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions for 200 marks over three hours, with +1 for a correct answer and a deduction of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer and no penalty for unattempted questions. Keep your bank voucher, transcript and photo ready before starting, and download the admit card from the same ERA portal once released.

Tribhuvan University's Faculty of Management runs the Central Management Admission Test (CMAT) for entry to BBA, BIM, BBM, BPA, BHM, BTTM, BBA-Finance and BMS programs at constituent and affiliated colleges. The entrance notice and online application are published through the Faculty of Management portals, tudoms.org and fomecd.edu.np, each July-August. Applicants complete the online form, upload the required photo, and pay before submitting at or through the campus offering their chosen program.

The CMAT application fee has commonly been Rs. 1,000. Eligibility requires completion of Class 12 (Plus 2) or equivalent recognized by TU, with the minimum grades or division specified in the notice (broadly a pass in all subjects with the stated CGPA threshold). Because colleges affiliated to TU accept the same CMAT score, one application and one exam can support admission to multiple management colleges under the university.

The CMAT paper is an objective test of 100 multiple-choice questions worth 100 marks, organized into four sections: Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning and General Awareness (25 questions each). CMAT is widely reported to carry no negative marking, and candidates typically need to meet a minimum qualifying percentage to be ranked; confirm the exact duration and pass mark in the current year's notice, as these details are set annually.

Kathmandu University centralizes its undergraduate applications on apply.ku.edu.np, but the test you take depends on your field. Engineering and science aspirants sit the KUCAT-CBT (KU Common Admission Test, Computer-Based Test), applied through apply.ku.edu.np/cbt. In the 2026 cycle registration opened on 19 June with an application processing fee of NRs. 2,000 paid via eSewa, and the CBT runs two hours with 120 multiple-choice questions in PCM or PCB streams; eligibility is 10+2 or equivalent with a minimum GPA of 2.0 or 50% aggregate.

Management applicants take the KUUMAT (KU Undergraduate Management Admission Test) for programs such as BBA and BBIS, also applied via apply.ku.edu.np. The KUUMAT application fee has been NPR 3,000 for Nepali citizens (about USD 50 for foreign nationals), and the exam comprises 100 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks across English language, mathematical aptitude, logical reasoning and general awareness, with 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer. Applications typically open in June with the test held in July.

For medicine, remember that Kathmandu University's MBBS and BDS seats are filled through the national MECEE-BL described above, not a separate KU-only medical test; the historical KUMET is no longer the route for these UG seats. Across all KU tests, create your account on apply.ku.edu.np, upload the required photo and documents, pay the specified fee, submit, and return to the portal to download your admit card when it is released.

Students aiming for BSc Agriculture, BSc Forestry or veterinary science (BVSc & AH) apply to Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), Rampur, Chitwan, which conducts its own entrance. The online application is filed through the university's systems at entrance.afu.edu.np and sis.afu.edu.np, where you register, complete the form, upload documents and pay before the deadline. Technical queries can be sent to the university's online support address published in the notice.

Eligibility generally requires passing 10+2 in Science (or agriculture/animal science/forestry stream) or equivalent, having studied English, Chemistry and Biology (100 marks each) and Physics and Mathematics (50 marks each), with at least 50% or Grade C in these subjects and an overall C+ (2.4 CGPA) or equivalent. Required uploads typically include your marksheet, character certificate, a citizenship photocopy and passport-size photos.

The Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), now under AFU, offers agriculture and veterinary programs through this same entrance route. As with other exams, verify the exact application window, fee and document list in the specific AFU notice for your cycle, since these are set each year, and keep your payment receipt until admission is complete.

The admit card (admission card) is your entry pass to the examination hall, and every one of these exams issues it through the same portal you applied on. For the IOE you download it from entrance.ioe.edu.np via the 'Print Your Admit Card' link; for MECEE-BL from the ERA portal at entrance.mec.gov.np; and for Kathmandu University tests from apply.ku.edu.np. Carry a clear color printout of the admit card together with the original photo ID mentioned on it, because candidates without both are generally not allowed to sit the exam.

Exam-center (and, where offered, shift) selection usually happens during the application itself, and popular centers in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Chitwan and other hub cities can fill quickly, so applying early gives you more choice. Some portals assign centers automatically based on preference and availability; the final allocation always appears on the admit card, which you should re-check for the exact venue, reporting time and any material restrictions.

The most common application mistakes are avoidable: uploading a wrongly sized or unclear photo (especially against the IOE's strict 350x350 pixel rule), mismatching your name or symbol number against the marksheet, paying but failing to enter the transaction number so the form stays incomplete, and missing the deadline by leaving payment to the last day when gateways are congested. Double-check every field, confirm your payment reflects as successful, save the acknowledgement, and set a reminder a few days before the deadline.