Grade 12 is done. Ahead of you are results, entrance exams for some programmes, and a decision about a bachelor's degree, or about work, or study abroad. Between them there is usually a stretch of time with no classes at all. This guide is about using that time, and the first years of a bachelor's, to learn practical IT skills in Kathmandu.
It is written for students from every stream, not only Science. The courses further down, with their fees, are read from our current catalogue, so they are the ones running today.
First, decide what the time is for
The right course depends less on your +2 marks than on what you want the next year to do for you.
- A head start on an IT degree. If you are heading for BIT, BSc CSIT, BCA or computer engineering, learning to program now means the first semesters build on something you have already done.
- A skill you can use straight away. Design, video and web skills are wanted by shops, schools, offices and small businesses everywhere. Some students take on small paid projects once they are confident; nobody can promise you that work, but a skill is what makes it possible.
- A stronger profile. Whether you apply to a college in Nepal or abroad, practical work you can show, a website or a set of designs, says more about you than a list of subjects.
If you plan to study IT
Bachelor's programmes in computing begin with the fundamentals of programming, and the students who find the first semester easiest are usually the ones who have already written code. Two courses suit this stage.
- Python. A first language that reads almost like English, used from automation to data and AI, where you learn variables, loops, functions and objects.
- Web development. HTML, CSS and JavaScript, building real pages and then making them interactive. You see the result of every line you write, which keeps many beginners going.
Several IT programmes in Nepal admit students through an entrance exam. Our courses are not entrance preparation; if you are sitting one, keep your preparation first and choose a course whose class times leave room for it.
If you studied Management, Humanities or Education
An IT course is not only for future programmers. Excel and office software are used in every office, and a management degree uses them from the first assignment. Graphic design and video editing open creative work in marketing, media and small businesses. Web development is open to anyone who enjoys building things, whatever they studied before. Choose the course nearest to the work you would like to be doing.
The longer courses: full stack and AI
Where the table lists them, the longer programmes take you much further: a full-stack course builds a complete application with a front end, a server and a database, and an AI course puts today's AI tools to work in your own projects. They ask more of your time, and they suit you best if you already know some programming or have finished a beginner course first. If you are new to code, start with web development or Python and come back to them.
Fitting a course around college
Every batch has fixed class times, shown on the course page. Before you apply, put them beside your college routine and your entrance or exam dates. If you live outside the Kathmandu valley, choose an online batch where the course has one. If you can come in person, our in-person classes have at most 12 students. Classes are taught in Nepali.
What it costs
Fees depend on the course: a short beginner course costs much less than a full-stack programme. The table below shows each recommended course with the fee charged today, and our course fees page lists every course we run. Where a course is taught both in person and online at different fees, both are shown. Ask us about paying in instalments.
Questions to ask any institute before you pay
Kathmandu has many IT training institutes, and their course names often sound alike. Whichever one you consider, ours included, these questions tell you more than the name of the course:
- Can I see the full course outline, module by module, and what I will have built by the end?
- When are the classes, and what happens if I miss one?
- Who teaches it, and do they work in the field they teach?
- How many students are in a class, and is it in person, online or both?
- What do I need to bring or install, and does the fee include everything?
- Can I pay in instalments, and what is the total fee?
- Can an employer check the certificate?
Each of our course pages answers most of these, and we answer the rest at the office or on the phone. An institute that will not answer them before you pay has told you something too.
Finish with something to show
Whatever you choose, aim to end the course with a piece of work you can put in front of someone: a deployed website, an application on GitHub, a portfolio of designs. When you complete the course you receive a certificate that a college or an employer can check on our certificate verification page, and our placement support, career guidance and help with your portfolio and interviews, is there when you start looking for work. It is help, not a promise of a job.
Already in your bachelor's? Read our guide to IT courses for bachelor's students. Or browse every course with its syllabus and next batch.