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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).[ citation needed ] 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]
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 [lower-alpha 2] | Type | Authority | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | District | Province | ||||
| Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University | Anuradhapura | Anuradhapura | North Central | 1996 | Public | Ministry of Higher Education |
| Buddhist and Pali University | Homagama | Colombo | Western | 1982 | Public | Ministry of Higher Education |
| General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University | Ratmalana | Colombo | Western | 11 October 2007 | Public | Ministry of Defence |
| University of Vocational Technology | Ratmalana | Colombo | Western | 2009 | Public | Ministry of Higher Education |
| Ocean University of Sri Lanka | Mattakkuliya | Colombo | Western | 2014 | 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]
2023 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities for Sri Lankan universities are listed below. [2]
| University | 2023 (January edition) [3] | 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 |
| Moratuwa | 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 |
| Rajarata | 7 | | 3020 | 1354 | 7 | 6 | 4374 | 370 | 13 | 3 | 6137 | 3570 | 10 | | 9707 | 712 |
| Jaffna | 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 |
| Visual & Performing Arts | 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 [1] | ||||||||||||||||
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology is a private university located in Malabe and Colombo, Sri Lanka. It specialises in various fields like technology and management.
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in the fields of natural, social, and applied sciences as well as mathematics, computer sciences, law, and Technology. It is ranked among the top 10 universities in South Asia.
The Eastern University Sri Lanka is a public university in Vantharumoolai, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It was established on 1 October 1986. The university was preceded by the Batticaloa University College established on 1 August 1981 which was started in the buildings of the Vantharumoolai Madya Maha Vidyalayam.
The University of Peradeniya is a public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission. It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was originally established as the University of Ceylon in 1942. The university was officially opened on 20 April 1954, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
University Grants Commission is the body responsible for funding most of the State Universities in Sri Lanka, and operates within the frame work of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978. A public organisation, established under the Parliament Act No 16 of 1978. Location is at No 20, Ward Place Colombo 07.
The University of Ruhuna is a public university in Matara, Sri Lanka.
The University of Sri Jayewardenepura is a public university in Sri Lanka. It is in Gangodawila, Nugegoda, near Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the country's administrative capital. It was formed in 1958 from the Vidyodaya Pirivena, a Buddhist educational centre which was founded in 1873 by Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera.
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka 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. In 1978 it was separated into four independent universities. These are the University of Colombo, the University of Peradeniya, University of Kelaniya and the University of Sri Jayawardanapura.
Wijesinghe Sugathadasa Karunaratne was a well-known Buddhist scholar. He was affectionately known by the Sri Lankan masses as "W. S." and as "The Don" by the academia. Karunaratne was born in Katugastota, a small village in the Kandy district in Sri Lanka.
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) located at Kandawala, Ratmalana, Colombo, is the state defense university of Sri Lanka which is administered by the Ministry of Defense.
Mapatunage James "M. J." Perera was a Sri Lankan civil servant with nine members in his family in Udumulla, Padukka. He created broadcasting history by being the first Ceylonese Director General of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia, taking over the helm from John Lampson of the BBC.
University of the Visual and Performing Arts (UVPA) is a public university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka, specialising in art, design, fashion and the performing arts. It was formerly known as the Government College of Fine Arts, Heywood Institute of Art and the Institute of Aesthetic Studies of the University of Ceylon. It has no known date of foundation, but there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1893. It is the only university in Sri Lanka to exclusively offer special degree programs in visual and performing arts.
The University of Sri Lanka was the public university system of Sri Lanka from 1972 to 1978. The university system was dissolved in 1978 and its six campuses turned into independent universities: the University of Peradeniya, the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Kelaniya, the University of Moratuwa, and the University of Jaffna.
The Sri Lanka University Games are a multi-sporting event held between public universities in Sri Lanka.
The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution in Sri Lanka.
Ceylon University College was a public university college in Ceylon. Established in 1921, it was Ceylon's first attempt at university education. The college didn't award degrees under its own name but prepared students to sit the University of London's external examination. The college was based in Colombo. The college was merged with Ceylon Medical College in 1942 to form the University of Ceylon. The college was also known as University College, Ceylon; University College, Colombo; and Colombo University College. Its buildings and grounds are now occupied by the University of Colombo which is considered its successor.
The University of Colombo currently has seven faculties with 41 academic departments and two interdependent schools with five academic departments. All faculties and schools carries out courses of study and research in both graduate and undergraduate studies. In addition, the university has several institutions that specialize in different areas of research.
The Vidyodaya Pirivena was one of the prominent piriven in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1873 by Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera and later in 1959, the pirivena was granted the university status by the Government of Sri Lanka.
Higher education in Sri Lanka is an optional final stage of formal learning following secondary education. Higher education, also referred to as tertiary education occurs most commonly universities or degree-granting institutions. These may be public universities, public and private degree-granting institutions which award their own degrees or degrees from foreign universities. High visibility issues include limited capacity of public universities to cater for the demand and opposition to private universities from certain segments.
The Aquinas College of Higher Studies also known as Aquinas University College is a Sri Lankan nonprofit private Tertiary education institute that provides both academic degrees and vocational training.
