General Requirements 

• Applicants must be citizens of Nepal, residing in Nepal at the time of application
• Have at least three years (for men) or two years (for women) of post-bachelor’s degree, full-time, professional work experience in Nepal in an area directly relevant to the applicant’s chosen field of study as of the application deadline. This experience must be outlined by the professional recommender, verifying your position(s) and years of employment. Even if you have worked at several organizations, you are eligible to apply if your work experience at those organizations adds up to the minimum work-duration requirement
• Possess either a four-year bachelor’s degree; or, if the bachelor’s degree was of fewer than four years’ duration, then a Master’s degree is also required, such that the total number of years of formal education equals at least 16
• Students with a three-year bachelor’s degree who have completed only the first year of a two-year Master’s degree program, and Master’s degree students who have cleared all exams but still need to fulfill other university-mandated degree requirements are ineligible to apply. Similarly, students who have two or more two-year/three-year bachelor’s degree but no Master’s degree are ineligible to apply for the Fulbright program
• Demonstrate in post-intermediate degrees (Bachelors and Master’s) a minimum aggregate mark of:
  • 54% for students in non-technical fields (Humanities and Social Sciences)
  • 62% for students in Science and Technical fields
  • The minimum requirements for students under the semester system are: 65% in non-technical fields; 75% in technical fields; or a Cumulative GPA of 3.50/4.00 in either field
  • If the grading systems, fields of study or educational systems for the Bachelor’s and Master’s level are different (percentage and GPA grades, non-technical and science/technical fields, yearly and semester systems, etc.), the applicant needs to meet the minimum score requirements separately, not in the aggregate
• Have sufficient level English proficiency to enable engagement in full-time graduate level study in the U.S. See Pre-academic Training.
• Only selected applicants will be required to sit for a TOEFL and the GRE. Candidates must acquire 100+ in TOEFL iBT. The test requirements may be waived for those who:
  • have taken a TOEFL in the past 2 years and GRE in the past 5 years
  • if you have taken an IELTS in the past 2 years you can upload the test score on the application
• Be eligible for a non-immigrant J-1 U.S. visa*, and not already in possession or in the process of obtaining a U.S. immigrant visa (U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status/green card).
• Applications and materials must be submitted through the online system. No hard copies will be accepted

*All grantees receive an exchange visitor (J-1) visa which requires that the individuals return to Nepal upon completion of their academic program. Grantees are not eligible for an immigrant visa, for permanent residence, or for a non-immigrant visa as a temporary worker (“H” visa) or trainee, or as an intra-company transferee (“L” visa) to re-enter the U.S. until they have accumulated two years’ residence in Nepal after returning from the U.S. on an exchange visitor visa. This does not preclude the individual from going to the U.S. on other visas during the two-year period.