Money tool
Education loan matcher
Nepali banks want collateral and a guarantor for almost every education loan. International lenders like MPOWER and Prodigy do not, but only cover select US and Canadian programmes. This tool ranks the options for your specific situation.
Your situation
No personal details needed — just enough to rank the options for you.
Best matches for you
Ranked by relevance to your situation — not by commission. We do not take affiliate fees from these lenders.
US and Canada master's and select bachelor's programs. No Nepali co-signer required. Loans disbursed directly to the university.
The only mainstream collateral-free option for Nepali students today. Best for families without property. Approval is based on the student's academic profile and the destination university, not family finances.
Data last verified: 2026-04-11
Master's programs at select top universities. No cosigner required. Loan amount tied to the program and university.
Viable for Nepali students admitted to Prodigy's partner universities. Worth checking if your target university is on their approved list.
Data last verified: 2026-04-11
Accepts property, fixed deposits, and government securities as collateral. Up to 10-year repayment starting after course completion.
Best for families with Kathmandu-valley property or substantial fixed deposits.
Data last verified: 2026-04-11
Floating rates can be lower than NIC Asia but require strong collateral and guarantor. Up to 20-year repayment reported for large loans.
Competitive if you have property in major cities. Branch discretion matters — visit in person.
Data last verified: 2026-04-11
State-owned bank; often slower processing than private banks but widely trusted outside Kathmandu.
Consider if you are outside Kathmandu and want a government-backed lender.
Data last verified: 2026-04-11
Reality check
If your family does not own property in Kathmandu, Pokhara, or Biratnagar and you do not have a strong co-signer, MPOWER Financing is effectively the only mainstream collateral-free option available to Nepali students today. It only covers select US and Canadian programmes.
Nepali bank loans are cheaper on paper (9 to 11 percent per year versus MPOWER's 12 to 14 percent) but require substantial collateral and take 4 to 8 weeks to process. Branch discretion matters more than the advertised rate — visit a relationship manager in person at NIC Asia or Nabil before settling on a quote.
How it works
- 1
Enter the basics
Loan amount needed, destination, programme, your family's collateral situation, and a rough income picture.
- 2
We rank the options
Nepali banks (Nabil, NIC Asia, Global IME, RBB) ranked against international (MPOWER, Prodigy) on interest, collateral, and processing time.
- 3
Read the trade-offs
Each option's note explains what it actually needs and where it falls short for typical Nepali applicants.
Methodology: Rates and terms are pulled from each lender's published documentation as of 2026. We refresh them every 4 to 8 weeks. Nepali banks' rates are NPR-denominated and reset on the base rate; international lenders are USD-denominated. Branch discretion at Nepali banks is real — a strong relationship customer often gets terms 0.5 to 1.5 percent better than the published rate. Treat the output as a starting point for conversations, not a binding quote.
Confirm your funding gap before applying for any loan.
Open the NRB calculator