Located in Lainchour, Kathmandu, NIST Higher Education is a constituent entity of the NIST Foundation. Three colleges — National College (NC), National Model College for Advanced Learning (NMCAL), and National College of Food Science and Technology (NCFST), established in 1998 and 2007, respectively, currently offer various undergraduate and graduate courses with the aim of developing a deemed university focusing on medicine, science and technology, management, humanities (IT), and agriculture. NIST Higher Education has three colleges under it:

1. National College - BCA, BBM, MBS, BSc/MSc Microbiology. MSc Biotechnology
2. National College of Food Science & Technology (NCFST) - BTech Food
3. National Model College of Advanced Learning (NMCAL) - B Pharmacy