How Nirīkṣayā chooses.
Selection is designed to find ability that has had little chance to show itself. Every stage is published here, so students, families and schools know exactly what happens and why.
Proposed process · being refined before the first roundPotential and need are separate questions.
Academic potential
Assessed through results read in context, an aptitude assessment, an essay and an interview. Financial information plays no part here.
Financial need
Reviewed confidentially, after potential has been assessed, to work out what support a scholar would need. It decides the support offered — not whether a student is capable.
Family income does not make a student more or less talented. Keeping the two questions apart keeps each one honest.
The stages
- 01Application / NominationStudents apply themselves, or are nominated by a teacher, head teacher or community member. No fee, no prior coaching expected.Looks atBasic eligibility: grade, school, province.
- 02Academic ReviewSchool results are read in context — what was taught, how it was assessed, and how the student compares with their own peers.Looks atConsistency, subject strengths, teacher observations.
- 03Nirīkṣayā Aptitude AssessmentA reasoning-based assessment designed so that preparation money cannot buy an advantage. Offered in Nepali and English.Looks atReasoning, problem-solving, learning speed.
- 04Personal EssayStudents write about what they hope to do and how they hope to contribute to their communities. Content matters more than polish.Looks atAspiration, reflection, sense of purpose.
- 05InterviewA conversation, not an interrogation — in the student's preferred language, with a guardian or teacher welcome to attend.Looks atCuriosity, motivation, resilience.
- 06Needs VerificationFinancial circumstances are reviewed separately and confidentially, after academic potential has been assessed.Looks atWhat support would be required — never whether a student 'deserves' it.
- 07School & Scholarship MatchingScholars are matched with partner schools and scholarship programmes that fit their goals, with family agreement at every step.Looks atFit, goals, family wishes, available places.
Commitments
Academic potential and financial need are assessed independently, by different steps, so neither colours the other.
A student is compared with what their environment made possible — not with students who had every advantage.
Applying, assessment and interviews will never require a fee or paid preparation.
Family and financial details are seen only by the people who need them, and never published.