Kathmandu University was started in 1991 with the motto "Quality Education for Leadership". The University operates through its six Schools of Science, Engineering, Management, Arts, Education and Medical sciences. The University is operating from premises at Dhulikhel, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.

As of 2000, the present number of students enrolled in Kathmandu University is about 1268 and the number of students enrolled in the affiliated colleges are 2072.

Vision                        Quality Education for Leadership
Established               1991
Type                           Public
Chancellor                 Prime Minister of Nepal
Vice Chancellor         Professor Suresh Raj Sharma 
Registrar                    Professor Bhadra Man Tuladhar
Location                     Dhulikhel, Nepal
Students                     2072
Homepage                  http://www.ku.edu.np

Purpose and Objectives
Kathmandu University is being developed with the aim to:
Promote all-round development of the student's abilities and personality.
Develop an awareness of the role of science and its application in the understanding of problems of the contemporary society.
Extend and disseminate knowledge and to foster its application.
Establish a community of scholars, students, and staff in which understanding and wisdom can grow and flourish.
The objective of Kathmandu University is to provide undergraduate and post graduate programs in the fields of engineering, science, management, arts, education and medical sciences in the near future. Till today, it has been providing undergraduate courses in engineering (computer, electrical & electronics, and mechanical), science (pharmacy and biology & applied biology), management (Master in Business Administration), undergraduate studies in music and short duration courses provided by the School of Arts and the School of Education.

History of KU
Kathmandu Valley Campus established in 1985 has grown into Kathmandu University. The emergence of the University was the result of many years of careful planning for quality education. Kathmandu University was established on 11 December 1991, by an Act of parliament.

Constitution
Kathmandu University is an independent, not for profit, non-government public institution which was created through private initiative. It is being developed as an institution of higher learning dedicated to maintain high standards of academic excellence.

Other Development Efforts
The approximate amount of money that has been generated for the university's development efforts till this date is worth Rs. 155 million. Of this sum, Rs. 70 million is for land, Rs. 60 million is for building construction. The remaining Rs. 25 million is for development of the road, on landscaping and on purchasing equipment. The additional amount of money required to complete the entire construction work, as per the master plan, is Rs. 1.3 billion. This is equivalent to US $ 25.86 million. Of this the amount Rs. 856.6 million or 67% of the entire cost has to be allocated for civil construction. The remaining allocations are for procuring furniture, equipment vehicles and books and journals.

 Encouragement Features
Kathmandu University has been able to attract a pool of committed and qualified faculty members. Through the help of these faculty members curricula for various programs have been drafted. Schools are offering programs at the undergraduate as well as the post-graduate levels. These programs have elicited encouraging responses from students and parents. Except for the School of Education and School of Management, all other schools have already started operating at the university's premises at Dhulikhel. Four batches of students have completed their MBA programs from the School of Management. The first convocation of the university was held on 7 August 1995 and the convocation address was given by an eminent management guru Dr. M.B. Atreya of India. The second convocation was held on 8 December 1996 and the convocation address was delivered by Professor N. Gyanam, Vice Chancellor, Pondichhary University and the President of Association of Indian Universities. The third convocation was held on 9 November 1997 and the convocation address was delivered by Professor (Dr.) M. Rammohan Rao, Director, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India. The fourth convocation, held in 17 September 1998, was addressed by the prominent scholar and ex-vice chancellor of Norwegian Institute of Technology, Norway. For the first time in Nepal, Kathmandu University convocated a batch of mechanical, electrical, electronics and computer science and engineering graduates.