This is a list of higher education institutions in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan law on publicly financed universities, the University Grants Commission controls 17 Sri Lankan universities and other educational institutions, as higher education institutions.
The origins of the modern university system in Sri Lanka dates back to 1921 when a University college, the Ceylon University College was established at the former premises of Royal College Colombo, and was affiliated with the University of London. The college provided courses of study in art and humanities, science and medicine prepared undergraduates for examination at the University of London. The beginnings of modern higher education in Ceylon commenced in 1870 with the establishment of the Ceylon Medical School, followed by Colombo Law College (1875), School of Agriculture (1884) and the Government Technical College (1893).In 1942 the first university was established in the country was the University of Ceylon which had several campuses island wide, Colombo (established 1942), Peradeniya (established 1949), Vidyodaya (established 1959), Vidyalankara (established 1959) and Katubedda (established 1972). Vidyodaya and Vidayalankara were established under the Vidyodaya and Vidayalankara University Act No 45 of 1958. The University of Ceylon was modelled on the Oxbridge formula, at its inception the university only accommodated 904 students, which later expanded to cover a number of universities and it remained as an elite-oriented university as stated by Sir Ivor Jennings, catering to a small number of students and exclusively residential. It was dissolved in 1972 to establish the University of Sri Lanka. In 1974 the Jaffna campus was added to the University of Sri Lanka.[1] [2] [3]
The change of the government in July 1977 led to dismantling of the single university apparatus with the plan of establishing independent universities. With the promulgation of the Universities Act. No 16 of 1978, state university status was restored to the six separate campuses. The University Grants Commission (UGC) was also created to plan and coordinate the state university education. After that, a number of state universities were created. All these state universities are registered under the University Grants Commission, but a few come under the auspices of ministries other than the Ministry of Higher Education, in which the UGC is a part of. Most of the state universities depend on funds given by the University Grants Commission, as it is their primary and sometimes only source of funding. Therefore, the UGC has a direct control over these universities and administer the undergraduate intake. The UGC is subordinate to the Ministry of Higher Education.
Universities in the Sri Lanka have generally been instituted by Special Presidential Decree, University Orders, Acts of Parliament and the Higher Education Act 1978.[4]
There are currently seventeen universities in Sri Lanka, which are established under the authority of the University Grants Commission.[6] All the following universities are recognised bodies with university status (University charter) under Universities Act No.16 of 1978.[7]
| University | Main campus | Founded | Type | Authority | University Status (University charter) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | District | Province | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 July 1942 | |||||
| Vantharumoolai | Public | UGC | 26 September 1986 | ||||
| Public | UGC | 1 January 1979 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1959 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 January 1979 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 January 1979 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 July 1942 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 31 January 1996 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 February 1984 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 7 November 1995 | |||||
| Oluvil | Public | UGC | 27 March 1996 | ||||
| Public | UGC | 1958 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 July 2005 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 July 2005 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 17 August 1999 | |||||
| Public | UGC | 30 October 2020[8] | |||||
| Public | UGC | 1 August 2021 | |||||
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978.
The University of Sri Lanka was a public university in Sri Lanka. Established in 1972 by amalgamating the four existing universities, it was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1972 until 1978. The university was based at six campuses in Colombo, Peradeniya, Sri Jayewardenepura, Kelaniya, Moratuwa and Jaffna. The university was dissolved in 1978 and its six campuses became independent universities.
Other Government Universities which are established by Acts of Parliament of Sri Lanka. These universities are not recognised bodies with university status or university charter under Universities Act No.16 of 1978.[9]
| University | Main campus | Founded | Type | Authority | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | District | Province | ||||
| Ministry of Higher Education | ||||||
| Public | Ministry of Higher Education | |||||
| Public | Ministry of Defence | |||||
| Public | Ministry of Higher Education | |||||
| Public | Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training | |||||
Under the Section 25 A of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978, following institutes have been recognised to award degrees.[10] [11]
| Institute | Main campus | Founded | Recognised | Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | District | Province | |||||
| Private | |||||||
| Private | |||||||
| Private | |||||||
| Saegis Campus | Private | ||||||
| Professional accountancy body | |||||||
| Institute of Surveying and Mapping | Public | ||||||
| Private | |||||||
| KAATSU | Private | ||||||
| Private | |||||||
| National Institute of Social Development | Private | ||||||
| Private | |||||||
| SANASA Campus | Hettimulla | Private | |||||
| Private | |||||||
| Public | |||||||
| Private | |||||||
| Private | |||||||
| Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy | Private | ||||||
| Esoft Metro Campus | Private | ||||||
| Private | |||||||
| Private | |||||||
| Business Management School | Private | ||||||
| Royal Institute Colombo[12] | Private | ||||||
| International Institute of Health Science[13] | Welisara | Private | |||||
| Benedict XVI Catholic Institute of Higher Education[14] | Negombo | Private | |||||
| Institute of Chemistry Ceylon[15] | Colombo | Private | |||||
2023 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities for Sri Lankan universities are listed below.
| University | 2023 (January edition) | 2018 (July edition)[16] | 2016 (July edition)[17] | 2015 (July edition)[18] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country university rank | Change in rank from previous year | World rank | Change from previous year | Country university rank | Change in rank from previous year | World rank | Change from previous year | Country university rank | Change in rank from previous year | World rank | Change from previous year | Country university rank | Change in rank from previous year | World rank | Change from previous year | ||
| Colombo | 1 | 1 | 1485 | 679 | 2 | 1 | 2164 | 218 | 1 | 1946 | 93 | 1 | 2039 | 107 | |||
| Peradeniya | 2 | 1 | 1885 | 133 | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 140 | 2 | 2158 | 72 | 2 | 2230 | 249 | |||
| Sri Jayewardenepura | 3 | 3 | 1944 | 1127 | 6 | 3071 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 2476 | 615 | 4 | 2 | 3091 | 2878 | ||
| 4 | 2219 | 502 | 4 | 1 | 2721 | 306 | 3 | 2415 | 8 | 3 | 2407 | 90 | |||||
| Ruhuna | 5 | 2 | 2336 | 329 | 3 | 2 | 2665 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 2634 | 1891 | 6 | 4525 | 1042 | ||
| Kelaniya | 6 | 1 | 2971 | 219 | 5 | 1 | 2752 | 193 | 4 | 2559 | 570 | 4 | 1 | 3129 | 65 | ||
| 7 | 3020 | 1354 | 7 | 6 | 4374 | 370 | 13 | 3 | 6137 | 3570 | 10 | 9707 | 712 | ||||
| 8 | 3633 | 751 | 8 | 1 | 4384 | 380 | 7 | 2 | 4004 | 2557 | 9 | 1 | 6561 | 664 | |||
| Wayamba | 9 | 5 | 4379 | 1030 | 14 | 4 | 5409 | 2731 | 10 | 3 | 5409 | 358 | 7 | 6 | 5051 | 6742 | |
| Sabaragamuwa | 10 | 1 | 4590 | 560 | 11 | 5150 | -865 | = 11 | 1 | 6015 | 4987 | 12 | 1 | 11002 | 203 | ||
| Eastern | 11 | 1 | 4621 | 90 | 10 | 2 | 4711 | 1304 | = 11 | 2 | 6015 | 5250 | 13 | 1 | 11265 | 111 | |
| Open | 12 | 3 | 5140 | 487 | 9 | 4653 | 174 | 9 | 1 | 4479 | 1091 | 8 | 1 | 5570 | 419 | ||
| SLIIT | 13 | 6657 | 1173 | 13 | 5484 | ||||||||||||
| KDU | 14 | 2 | 7267 | 1858 | 12 | 5409 | |||||||||||
| Uva Wellassa | 15 | 1 | 7311 | 3140 | 16 | 3 | 10451 | 10451 | 15 | 11664 | 4050 | 15 | 1 | 15714 | 989 | ||
| South Eastern | 16 | 1 | 7709 | 1011 | 15 | 3 | 8720 | 752 | 14 | 3 | 7968 | 2061 | 11 | 2 | 10029 | 1705 | |
| 17 | 15491 | 669 | 17 | 9 | 14822 | 10701 | 8 | 6 | 4121 | 9944 | 14 | 1 | 14065 | 1626 | |||
| Last Updated according to Webometrics Ranking of World Universities January 2023 Sri Lankan Edition | |||||||||||||||||