The Faculty of Agriculture at the Agriculture and Forestry University is facing challenges in both attracting and retaining students. On one hand, there is a shortage of student enrollment, and on the other hand, the university is struggling to retain its existing students.
During the 2079/80 academic year, the Central Campus of the university experienced a decline in student retention, and seven private educational institutions faced a lack of student enrollments. Presently, regular students occupy less than 37.47 percent of the total available seats.
In the 2079/80 academic year, the initial enrollment of 424 students at the Central Campus reduced to 350, with only 160 seats remaining vacant during admission. However, due to the postponement of the first-semester examination, an additional 234 seats have now become vacant, bringing the total number of available seats at the Central Campus to 394 (584 - 190).
A total of 934 seats have been distributed by the university among its public and private campuses. The government was allocated 584 seats, out of which 350 have been filled, leaving 234 seats vacant. Similarly, the private institutions filled all of their allocated 350 seats. The fact that only 350 students have enrolled in government educational institutions raises concerns about the university's affiliation and calls for a reevaluation by relevant authorities to address the surplus of vacant seats. Moreover, professional degree programs, like Bachelor's degrees, have also experienced a decline in enrollment, with 74 students still unenrolled within six months of the program's initiation.
| Education Institutes | Total Seats | Filled Seats | Remaining Seats |
| Central Campus, Rampur | 162 | 162 | 127 |
| Tikapur, Kailali | 54 | 37 | 31 |
| Bardiwas | 54 | 28 | 22 |
| Khajura, Banke | 49 | 34 | 29 |
| Rolpa | 48 | 27 | 21 |
| Puranchaur | 54 | 52 | 48 |
| Sindhuli | 54 | 47 | 40 |
| Pakhribas | 54 | 37 | 32 |
| Dullu | 54 | 0 | 0 |
| Itahari in Sunsari, Gouradah in Jhapa, Chapagaon in Lalitpur, Birendranagar in Surkhet, Ramnagar in Nawalparasi, Kohalpur in Banke, Gaindakot in East Nawalparasi | 350 | 0 | 0 |
In the preceding academic year, the Central Agriculture Campus of the University had 212 students enrolled under the cost-sharing program with the University Grants Commission. However, in the academic year 2079/80, the number of available seats was reduced to 162 after the commission decreased the subsidy, making it applicable to only 50 students in the cost-sharing arrangement.
During the academic year 2079/80, a total of 162 students were initially enrolled in that campus. However, by the time of filling the exam application for the first semester, the number had reduced to 127 students. According to Sapana Poudel, the administration officer of the Faculty of Agriculture, there were 35 students who were missing from the central campus before the completion of the first semester.
As per Poudel's statement, Tikapur in Kailali has 54 allotted seats. Initially, 37 students were enrolled in that campus, but currently, only 31 students attend regularly. Likewise, the College of Natural Resource Management in Bardiwas has been allotted 54 seats by the university. During the current academic session, 28 students were admitted to the college, but at present, only 22 students attend regularly.
The College of Natural Resource Management in Khajura, Banke has a total of 49 seats. Initially, 34 students were admitted, but currently, there are only 29 regular attendees. In the case of Madichaur, Rolpa, 27 students were enrolled initially, but now only 21 students have applied for the exam.
As for Puranchaur in Kaski, there is one seat available, and 52 students were initially enrolled. However, only 48 students have continued their studies until now. Likewise, she mentioned that the College of Natural Resource Management, Sindhuli had 47 students initially enrolled, but now only 40 students attend regularly.
According to Niranjan Bhandari, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, the College of Natural Resource Management, Pakhribas, which has 54 seats, admitted 37 students in this academic session. However, only 32 students continue to attend regularly. In the academic session 2078/79, there were 48 enrollments in the educational institution, and in the previous year, 2077/78, there were 52 enrollments. Bhandari explains that despite only a few students choosing to study elsewhere, the challenge now lies in retaining students during the first semester itself.
According to Bhandari, the head of Pakhribas, the difficulty in sustaining students arises from the fact that those who have pursued agriculture in previous years tend to secure jobs immediately after obtaining their bachelor's degrees.
Chief Bhandari highlights various challenges in producing the required workforce for the country. These difficulties stem from reasons such as inadequate development of physical infrastructure, irregularity in conducting regular classes, and the inconsistency in examination schedules. He further mentions that students who are unable to study at the central campus of the Agricultural University often opt for educational institutions offered by Tribhuvan University and other universities.
