How to Send Money From Nepal to the USA: Tuition Payment Rules
US tuition often runs past the USD 25,000 facility. Here is how paying a US university from Nepal actually works, and what to ask your bank.
US tuition is usually higher than what Nepal's education facility covers in a single year, which makes the rules matter more than they do for cheaper destinations. Here's how paying a US university from Nepal works, and the question to put to your bank before you commit to a budget.
The same NRB framework, with a bigger cap problem
The process follows the same education rules covered in our Nepal to Australia tuition guide: a No Objection Certificate, payment routed through a Nepali bank, and documents from the institution. What's different for the USA is scale. Many US programs, private universities especially, charge more than USD 25,000 a year in tuition alone, so the annual facility limit is a real constraint rather than a formality.
The limit, and the question to ask above it
NRB's October 2024 circular raised the tuition, affiliation and examination fee facility for foreign universities from USD 12,000 to USD 25,000. If your annual tuition is higher, ask your bank directly what process applies above the facility, whether that's additional approval or a different route. I couldn't confirm a published process for amounts above the limit, so don't assume the answer. Get it in writing before you commit to a budget.
Add the 3% education service fee to the budget
The 3% education service fee applies to the foreign-currency amount taken out for study abroad. On USD 20,000 that's USD 600, before SWIFT and correspondent-bank charges. On US-sized tuition, this fee is a meaningful line item, not a rounding error.
The NOC is still the first gate
As with any study destination, banks will not remit tuition or living expenses without the student's NOC from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, obtained through its online portal. It also forms part of the visa file, so it's worth applying early.
Documents from the US side
Expect to provide the institution's offer letter and fee invoice. US-bound students will also hold a Form I-20 issued by the school. Ask your bank which of these it wants attached, since requirements vary by bank and by payment.
Living expenses and the exchange-rate buffer
Living expenses are handled separately, with families reported able to remit USD 2,500 to USD 5,000 a year. NRB also reportedly let banks release up to 5% extra foreign currency in June 2026 to cover exchange-rate movement. Both are worth confirming with your bank, along with the reported April 2026 rule that later payments go through the same bank as the first.
When money comes back the other way
If a student or family member in the US later sends money to Nepal, that's a different process with its own rules, including a US federal tax on cash-funded transfers. Our USA to Nepal guide covers it.
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About the author
Aryan Mehta
Senior Remittance Analyst · Remit Seas
Aryan has spent 8 years tracking cross-border payment corridors across the Gulf and Southeast Asia. Before Remit Seas, he worked in FX operations at a UAE exchange house and has personally sent money on 11 corridors. He writes about exchange rate margins, provider fee structures, and how remittance senders can keep more of what they earn.
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