PCL Nursing is the fastest route into a registered nursing career in Nepal: a three-year diploma that takes students from SEE straight into hospital wards. These are the ten best places in Kathmandu to study it.
What Is PCL Nursing?
PCL Nursing — the Proficiency Certificate Level in Nursing — is a three-year diploma run by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), programme code 01. It is the diploma route into nursing, distinct from the BSc Nursing degree: students join after SEE and graduate as staff nurses, registering with the Nepal Nursing Council. From the 2082/83 academic session, admission is merit-based on SEE GPA, with no entrance examination.
Because the course is heavily practical, the quality of a PCL Nursing college depends largely on where its students do their clinical training. Colleges attached to a busy hospital give students far more ward time than classroom-only campuses, which is why hospital attachment weighs heavily in the ranking below.
How to Choose the Right PCL Nursing College
Start with CTEVT affiliation: only a CTEVT-affiliated institution can award the PCL Nursing diploma, so confirm the affiliation before you apply. Then look at the hospital where students train, the range of other health programmes the campus runs, and how easy the campus is to reach from home — clinical postings start early in the morning, so a long commute matters more here than it does for other courses.
Fees, seat numbers and admission dates change every year, so this guide does not list them. Confirm the current fee and the admission schedule directly with the college or through CTEVT before you apply.
PCL Nursing Colleges in Kathmandu
The ten colleges below are ranked on CTEVT affiliation, hospital attachment for clinical training, the range of health programmes on campus, and location. All ten run the three-year PCL Nursing diploma in Kathmandu district.
1. Manmohan Memorial Institute of Medical Sciences
Photo: Klaus Nielsen
Manmohan Memorial Institute of Medical Sciences in Dahachowk, Chandragiri, tops this guide because it pairs a dedicated health sciences campus with its own hospital. The private, CTEVT-affiliated institute runs PCL Nursing alongside other CTEVT health programmes, and students complete their clinical training at the institute's own 100-bed Manmohan Hospital in Dahachowk.
Established in 2064 BS, the institute is the most complete PCL Nursing setup in the valley: a campus built for health education with a hospital on the same site, so students move between classroom and ward without travelling across the city. Its location on the western edge of the valley suits students from Chandragiri, Thankot and the surrounding municipalities.
2. Nepal Institute of Health Sciences (Stupa College)
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Nepal Institute of Health Sciences (Stupa College) in Boudha, Tushal, is one of Kathmandu's longest-running health sciences colleges, and one of the few in the valley to run PCL Nursing alongside degree programmes. Alongside the diploma it offers BSc Nursing, Bachelor in Nursing Science, Bachelor of Public Health and ANM, so PCL students study on a campus where nursing is taught at every level.
That breadth is the reason for its high ranking: students share teachers, laboratories and clinical postings with degree students, and the Boudha campus is easy to reach from the eastern side of the city. Confirm the current PCL Nursing intake and fee directly with the college before applying.
3. BP Memorial Health Institute and Research Center
Photo: Antoni Shkraba
BP Memorial Health Institute and Research Center in Dhapasi, Tokha, is a CTEVT-affiliated health institute that runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma alongside the three-year PCL in General Medicine (Health Assistant) programme. Students therefore train on a campus that teaches both nursing and general medicine, with clinical exposure across both streams.
Its Dhapasi campus serves the fast-growing northern suburbs, and the institute's research focus adds an academic depth that most diploma-only campuses cannot match. It is a strong choice for students from Tokha, Budhanilkantha and the north of the valley.
4. Martyr Memorial Institute of Science and Technology
Photo: Jsme MILA
Martyr Memorial Institute of Science and Technology in Kalopul is a CTEVT-affiliated institute that runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma alongside the three-year PCL in General Medicine (Health Assistant) programme, giving students a broad primary healthcare education.
The Kalopul campus sits on the eastern side of the Ring Road, convenient for students from the eastern and north-eastern parts of the city. As with the other dual-programme institutes in this guide, its students benefit from shared clinical teaching across nursing and health assistant training.
5. HAMS Nursing College
Photo: Cedric Fauntleroy
HAMS Nursing College in Sukedhara runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma, offering a focused nursing education in one of the city's most accessible locations, just north of the Ring Road.
Unlike the multi-programme institutes above, HAMS is a dedicated nursing college, so its teaching, laboratories and clinical arrangements are built entirely around nursing students. Sukedhara is well served by public transport from across the valley.
6. Kathmandu Model Hospital Institute of Health Sciences
Photo: Amina Filkins
Kathmandu Model Hospital Institute of Health Sciences in Bagbazar is the teaching institute of Kathmandu Model Hospital, and runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma in the heart of the city.
Its central Bagbazar location puts students in one of Kathmandu's busiest hospital settings from the start of their training, and the campus is reachable from every part of the valley. It is the most central option in this ranking.
7. Sushma Koirala Memorial Nursing Campus
Photo: Cedric Fauntleroy
Sushma Koirala Memorial Nursing Campus in Sankhu runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma, bringing diploma nursing education to the north-eastern edge of the valley.
For students from Sankhu, Shankharapur and the surrounding municipalities, it removes the daily trip into the city centre, and its memorial-campus setting gives it a quieter, more focused learning environment than the central campuses.
8. Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Memorial Health Institute
Photo: Daniil Kondrashin
Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Memorial Health Institute in Battisputali runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma from a campus close to the city centre, near Gaushala and the eastern Ring Road.
Battisputali's location makes it practical for students from the eastern and central parts of Kathmandu, with easy access to the hospitals and health facilities where clinical training takes place.
9. Nepal Bharat Maitri Hospital
Photo: Luis angel Alejos espinoza
Nepal Bharat Maitri Hospital in Kathmandu runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma as a hospital-based programme, so students train in a working hospital environment from early in the course.
Hospital-based training is the strongest feature of this option: students learn nursing in the setting where they will eventually work, with direct exposure to ward routines, patient care and the pace of a real hospital.
10. Helping Hands Community Hospital
Photo: Los Muertos Crew
Helping Hands Community Hospital in Chabahil runs the three-year PCL Nursing diploma as a community-hospital programme, combining classroom teaching with hands-on training in a community hospital setting.
Its Chabahil location on the Ring Road serves the north-eastern suburbs, and the community-hospital model gives students experience of the primary and community care where most staff nurses in Nepal actually work.
Also in Kathmandu: Uniformed-Services Schools
Three further Kathmandu institutions run PCL Nursing but are not ranked here because they mainly admit service personnel: the Nepal Police Hospital School of Health Sciences in Maharajgunj, the APF School of Medical Science in Balambu, and the Nepali Army Vocational Training Institute in Bhandarkhal. If you or a family member serves in the police, Armed Police Force or Nepal Army, check your eligibility with the institution directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PCL Nursing?
PCL Nursing is the Proficiency Certificate Level in Nursing, a three-year diploma run by CTEVT. Students join after SEE and graduate as staff nurses, registering with the Nepal Nursing Council.
How is PCL Nursing different from BSc Nursing?
PCL Nursing is a diploma-level qualification, while BSc Nursing is a bachelor's degree. PCL is the shorter route into registered nursing; BSc Nursing is the degree route, and the two are covered in separate Hamro Nepal guides.
How do I apply for PCL Nursing in Kathmandu?
From the 2082/83 academic session, admission is merit-based on SEE GPA, with no entrance examination. Confirm the current admission schedule and requirements with CTEVT or the college you are applying to.
Do PCL Nursing graduates register with the Nepal Nursing Council?
Yes. Graduates of the PCL Nursing programme register as staff nurses with the Nepal Nursing Council, which licenses them to practise nursing in Nepal.
How much does PCL Nursing cost?
Fees vary by institution and change every year, so this guide does not list them. Confirm the current total fee directly with the college before you apply.
Editorial Note
This guide ranks the ten CTEVT-affiliated PCL Nursing colleges in Kathmandu on affiliation, hospital attachment for clinical training, the range of health programmes on campus, and location. Programme details were verified against CTEVT, the colleges' own published information and the Edusanjal course directory. Fees, seat numbers and admission dates change every year, so confirm them with the college before applying.
Sources
Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), programme code list
Edusanjal, PCL Nursing course and college directory
Manmohan Memorial Institute of Medical Sciences, official website
Hamro Nepal, Top 10 HA Colleges in Kathmandu
Hamro Nepal, Top 15 Nursing Colleges in Kathmandu