Higher Education in Sri Lanka starts after the completion of Senior Secondary Education.
Universities, specialized institutions, such as technical colleges and affiliated technical units, and private institutions all constitute the institutes of higher education in Sri Lanka. If you are thinking of taking up a bachelor degree course in Sri Lanka it would at least take 3 years to complete. The duration of the special degree course is of four years and medical courses are of 5 years duration with an additional internship of 1 year. Master degree courses in Sri Lanka consist generally of two years.
The University Grant Commission of Sri Lanka is the nodal agency that is responsible for allocating funds to the universities and university institutes. It is also responsible for maintaining the standard of higher education in Sri Lanka and implementing the national policies in all the university institutes of the country. However one can also pursue non-university level post secondary education in Sri Lanka from various polytechnic institutes, technical institutes affiliated technical units that offer courses in Engineering, Commerce, Business and Crafts. Those who cannot afford to attend regular classes can opt for distance learning courses at the Open University in Sri Lanka.
The primary and secondary level education in Sri Lanka is now quite well spread. But the number of students who can afford to go for higher education is still very low. Only around 7.5% of students who pass the GCE A level exam go for university education in Sri Lanka. Therefore a comprehensive policy that tackles the problem of poverty and unemployment would be needed in order to justly distribute the fruits of higher education to all the sections of the society in Sri Lanka.
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