Skip to content

Nepal: the licensing examination and the two bodies, the Medical Education Commission and Nepal Medical Council

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

The texts on this page are Nepal's own, and they apply to people going from Nepal. The Medical Education Commission's Act and accreditation standards cover the entrance examination and the eligibility certificate for study abroad, and the Nepal Medical Council's home page describes the licensing examination that the Council conducts before registration. This page does not apply these texts to students of any other country.

This register's section page covers practising back home. This page describes only what the documents below say, not what either body will decide for a particular person.

The documents used

  • National Medical Education Act, 2018 (2075), English translation published by the Medical Education Commission.
  • Accreditation Standards for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) 2024, published by the Medical Education Commission.
  • The home page of the Nepal Medical Council, with its welcome paragraph.
  • The landing page of the Medical Education Commission's eligibility certificate portal.

The 2018 Act: the entrance examination before study abroad

Section 16(2), first clause, of the National Medical Education Act, 2018 reads: "Any person going from Nepal to study higher education in another country shall have passed the entrance examination pursuant to sub-Section (1)."

This page does not quote sub-Section (1), which the clause refers to. Section 16(5) lists exceptions. This site has not transcribed them, and this page does not describe them.

The 2024 standards: eligibility and the certificate

Section 6.1, "Eligibility Criteria", of the Accreditation Standards for MBBS 2024 sets out criteria for admission to the MBBS programme. The section lists these items:

  • Passing 10 + 2 or an equivalent qualification in a single attempt, with physics, chemistry and biology (PCB), securing a minimum of 50% in each subject.
  • Higher Secondary Education (Science).
  • 10+2 (Science).
  • Cambridge University 'A' level with biology, physics and chemistry, securing a minimum of 50% (equivalent) in each subject, or equivalent Science education with biology, physics and chemistry.
  • Passing the bachelor level Common Entrance Examination conducted by the Medical Education Commission.

The last sentence of section 6.1 reads: "Students going to foreign countries to study medical course must get the eligibility certificate from MEC and must have passed the bachelor level Medical Entrance Examinations." The sentence does not say which of the listed criteria the eligibility certificate depends on.

The 2024 standards: the licensing examination

The standard's "Licensing Examination" sentence reads: "There is a provision of licensing examination by the respective council after acquiring the academic degree." The sentence refers to "the respective council" and does not name it.

Nepal Medical Council's home page

The welcome paragraph of the Nepal Medical Council's home page says that the Council was established in 2020 BS (1964 AD) by an act of Parliament. It says the Council's role has changed over time, from registering doctors eligible to practise modern medicine, to conducting a licensing examination before registration, to monitoring and regulating medical education in the country.

The welcome paragraph does not give the format, subjects, pass mark or dates of that examination.

The Medical Education Commission's eligibility portal

The English lines on the landing page of the Medical Education Commission's eligibility certificate portal say that users with an existing user account can log in and add an eligibility request. Users without an account are asked to click Register and create one. The page also says to read the Instructions before proceeding.

The landing page does not set out the conditions, documents, fee or processing time for the certificate. The instructions are not covered on this page, so read them on the portal.

Questions people ask

Who issues the eligibility certificate for students going abroad to study medicine?

Section 6.1 of the Accreditation Standards for MBBS 2024, published by the Medical Education Commission, says that students going to foreign countries to study medical course must get the eligibility certificate from the Medical Education Commission and must have passed the bachelor level Medical Entrance Examinations.

Does the 2018 Act require an entrance examination before studying higher education abroad?

Section 16(2), first clause, of the National Medical Education Act, 2018 says that any person going from Nepal to study higher education in another country shall have passed the entrance examination pursuant to sub-Section (1). This page does not quote sub-Section (1).

Which body conducts the licensing examination?

The home page of the Nepal Medical Council says the Council conducts a licensing examination before registration. The 2024 accreditation standards refer to "the respective council" for the licensing examination and do not name it.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice, it is not published by the bodies named, and it promises no admission, examination or registration outcome. The official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

MBBS Register Desk