Top Universities in Sri Lanka

University of Peradeniya leads the 27 universities in Sri Lanka on research impact (685,762 citations). It is followed by University of Colombo (#2 in Sri Lanka) and University of Sri Jayawardenapura (#3 in Sri Lanka). Across the whole list there are 214 courses to choose from.

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Universities 27 Programs 214 Scholarships 1

27 universities · ranked best first

how we rank

1Best overall

#1 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Peradeniya

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#1 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

685,762 citations · h-index 238

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2Top pick

#2 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Colombo

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#2 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

442,619 citations · h-index 213

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3Top pick

#3 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Sri Jayawardenapura

Public University · 29 courses

All 29 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#3 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

231,949 citations · h-index 164

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4Ranked

#4 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Kelaniya

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#4 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

219,290 citations · h-index 178

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5Ranked

#5 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Moratuwa

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#5 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

195,262 citations · h-index 130

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6Ranked

#6 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Ruhuna

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#6 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

150,583 citations · h-index 125

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7Ranked

#7 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of Jaffna

Public University · 8 courses

All 8 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#7 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

86,809 citations · h-index 104

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8Ranked

#8 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

1996Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#8 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

76,228 citations · h-index 100

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9Ranked

#9 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIT)

Public University · 29 courses

All 29 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#9 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

70,557 citations · h-index 74

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10Ranked

#10 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#10 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

40,428 citations · h-index 75

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11Ranked

#11 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Public University · 2 courses

—Tuition (indicative)

1990Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#17 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

5,884 citations · h-index 28

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18Ranked

#18 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

University of the Visual & Performing Arts

Public University · 13 courses

All 13 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#18 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

985 citations · h-index 15

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19Ranked

#19 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

National School of Business Management

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#19 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

2,019 citations · h-index 21

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20Ranked

#20 in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka

Public University · 55 courses

All 55 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

1981Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#20 in Sri Lanka · by research impact

54 citations · h-index 3

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21Ranked

Sri Lanka

Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

Not yet ranked No QS position or research record found

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22Ranked

Sri Lanka

Arthur C Clarke Institute of Modern Technologies

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

Not yet ranked No QS position or research record found

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23Ranked

Sri Lanka

Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA)

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

Not yet ranked No QS position or research record found

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24Ranked

Sri Lanka

South Asian Institute of Technology And Medicine (SAITM)

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

Not yet ranked No QS position or research record found

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Keep looking

in Sri Lanka

By university type

Public universities

Popular collections

Public 27

How these universities are ranked

Below them, universities follow their research output: University of Peradeniya is cited most (685,762 citations). 6 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".

Public, private and where they are

27 are public and 0 private (100% public). The oldest is National Institute of Business Management, founded in 1968. Open University of Sri Lanka is the largest, with 40,000 students.

Inside the course list

By level: 120 bachelor's, 57 diploma, 32 master's and 5 phd / doctorate. The most common subjects are Business & Management (23), Education (12), Engineering (11) and Arts, Design & Architecture (5). The usual length is 3 Years and One (1) Year. 100% are full-time. Start dates lean to Fall (54% of courses with a stated intake) and Spring (46% of courses with a stated intake). Open University of Sri Lanka offers the widest choice, with 76 of these courses.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top universities in Sri Lanka?

University of Peradeniya (#1 in Sri Lanka), University of Colombo (#2 in Sri Lanka) and University of Sri Jayawardenapura (#3 in Sri Lanka) lead this list. QS World positions come first; the rest are ranked by research impact.

How many universities in Sri Lanka are public?

27 public and 0 private universities are on this list.

How long does a course take in Sri Lanka?

Most listed courses run 3 Years, with One (1) Year the next most common.

When do courses start in Sri Lanka?

Fall is the main intake — 54% of courses with a stated start date begin then, and Spring is the second.

Which university has the most courses in Sri Lanka?

Open University of Sri Lanka, with 76, ahead of Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka (55).

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