your academic documents
Four certificates, one issuing body per qualification, and a set of names that mean nothing until someone explains them. This is the part of the paperwork you can finish months early — so finish it months early.
Nepali boards and universities issue a standard set. Foreign universities usually want the transcript and the certificate; the other two matter for the file and for anything you do later in Nepal.
Transcript
The official record of every subject and mark, signed and sealed by the board or university. This is the document a foreign admissions office actually assesses.
Character certificate
Issued by your school, college or campus confirming conduct and dates of study. Cheap, quick, and asked for more often than you'd guess.
Migration certificate
Confirms you are free to move to another board or university. Nepali boards issue it for anyone leaving their system — including for study abroad.
Provisional certificate
Proof you completed the degree before the formal certificate is printed, which can take a year or more. For most students applying abroad, this is the document that actually travels.
For most Nepali graduates the provisional certificate, not the formal degree certificate, is the document that travels.
This depends entirely on what you studied and where — and going to the wrong office is the most common wasted trip in the whole process.
SEE, grade 11 and grade 12: the National Examinations Board, Sanothimi
Bachelor's and master's degrees: the university that awarded the degree — not your college
Diploma and TSLC holders: CTEVT, Sanothimi — not NEB
If you studied under an affiliated college, the university issues the transcript, not the college — the college only issues your character certificate and internal records. Students lose weeks at the wrong counter over exactly this.
Find your registration and symbol numbers
Every application needs them. They are on your admit card, your registration slip and your mark sheets — dig them out before you start rather than mid-form.
Apply online where the body offers it
Tribhuvan University's Office of the Controller of Examinations takes transcript and provisional-certificate applications online, with payment through a linked bank, and can route collection to a regional office rather than Balkhu.
Or apply at the counter
NEB takes applications at Sanothimi: collect the form, attach photocopies of your mark sheets, pay at the counter, keep the receipt — it is what you present when collecting.
Order more copies than you need
Ordering a second set later means repeating the whole process. Two or three sealed sets is the standard advice, especially if you're applying to several countries.
Keep the seals intact
Some universities only accept a transcript in a sealed, stamped envelope from the issuing body. Opening it to scan destroys that status — scan before sealing, or order a separate copy for your own use.
Academic documents are independent of your offer, your visa and your funding. There is no reason at all to leave them until the end, and every reason not to.
NEB transcript, migration and provisional: a few hundred rupees each
Tribhuvan University transcript, by level: roughly NPR 800 (intermediate) to NPR 1,800 (master's)
NEB counter turnaround: around a week
After results are published, applications open: about 15 days after publication
These are the published figures we could corroborate; boards revise them without much notice. Confirm the current fee before you queue, and expect longer turnarounds in the weeks straight after a results publication.
National Examinations Board (NEB)
Tribhuvan University — Office of the Controller of Examinations
CTEVT — Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training
Kathmandu University, Pokhara University and Purbanchal University run their own examination offices on their own campuses. We have not verified their counter details, so we don't publish them — check your university's own site rather than trusting a number found on a consultancy page.
Issued documents are not yet accepted documents. Depending on your destination, the set you just collected may need certified translation, board verification, ministry attestation, and in some cases legalisation by the destination's embassy.
My degree certificate hasn't been printed yet. Can I still apply?
Yes — that is exactly what the provisional certificate is for. Foreign universities are familiar with it, and most Nepali graduates apply on a provisional plus transcript. Order the formal certificate anyway; you will want it eventually.
Do I need a migration certificate to study abroad?
Not usually for the foreign university itself, but it is part of the standard set your board issues and it costs little. Get it while you are already at the counter.
Can someone else collect my transcript?
Policies differ by board and university, and some allow an authorised representative with a letter and ID. Ask when you apply, and get the answer from the office rather than from an agent.
How many sealed copies should I order?
Two or three. If you are applying to several countries, or to a regulated profession that will want its own verified set, more. Reordering later is the same process all over again.
My college says it will handle everything for a fee. Should I let them?
You can, but understand what you're paying for — these are counter services open to every student, and the online routes were built so you don't need an intermediary. If you do delegate, keep your original documents and receipts yourself.