Founded in 1959, Tribhuvan University, Nepal’s first national University is geared towards modernization through a national system of higher education. It was named after the late King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev. The chancellor of the University is His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. 

The University has sixty two campuses of its own and a hundred affiliated to it. The student enrollment in Tribhuvan University’s constituent campuses  is about 92,000 and in the affiliated campuses the total enrollment estimate is 4,00,000. Today, the University is an academic home for about 1,50,000 students and about 5,500 faculty members. On the support service sector, the University has about 2,300 people working in administration, about 1,500  technical workers and about 3,200 in utility services.

Tribhuvan University has the following faculties, each headed by a Dean.

Humanities and Social Sciences

•           Management

•           Law

•           Education

The faculties of Humanities of Social Sciences run programs on a wide range of Liberal Arts subjects, and the faculties of Management, Law and Education provide professional studies.

The University has the following Institutes, each with a Dean at the apex:

•           Sciences and Technology

•           Engineering

•           Forestry

•           Agriculture & Animal Science

•           Medicine

The University has the following specialized research centers, each led by an Executive Director:

•           Centre for Economic Development & Administration (CEDA)

•           Centre for Nepal & Asian Studies (CNAS)

•           Research Centre for Applied Science & Technology (RECAST)

•           Research Centre for Educational Innovation & Development (RCEID)  

Tribhuvan University has the following consecutive levels of study:

• Proficiency

• Bachelor

• Master

• Ph.D  

Tribhuvan University has signed agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and other documents which ensure mutual cooperation and support in many fields of activity. The fields cover exchange, research and  information flow. There are also some foreign Universities and Institutions wishing to collaborate with Tribhuvan University in different fields of intellectual and academic engagement.  

The history of Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine (IoM), is more than two and half decades long. When it was established in 1972, the institute had only proficiency for the Certificate Nursing Programme but now it feels proud to run 29 academic programmes in medicine, public health, nursing and Ayurveda through seven campuses of its own and two affiliated campuses. The institute also has its own TU Teaching Hospital and BP Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies that provides service and training. From its inception, the Institute has carefully tried to provide all types of human resources for health in a balanced manner and not just for medical graduates.

 Currently, there are four proficiency certificate courses and six bachelor level courses at IoM. The MBBS course, that started in 1978, is a competency-based, community orientated and integrated programme and is recognised by medical councils of many countries of the world. The post-graduate course started at IoM in 1982 with the initiation of MD (General Practice) Programme. In line with the recently emphasised role of the University for tertiary education, IoM now conducts 18 postgraduate academic courses.  

 In addition to providing student training and service to the patients and the public, the IoM also lays great emphasis on research and innovations in medical education. For decades the Institute’s Medical Education Department has contributed to the design and development of the curriculum as well as to the training of students and teachers. The Institute also has linkages with several national and International organisations.