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Universities in Sri Lanka
  1. Sri Lanka
  2. Top Public Universities

Top Public Universities in Sri Lanka

What are the top public Universities in Sri Lanka? uniRank answers this question by publishing a complete list of 20 public Sri Lankan higher education institutions ranked by the 2026 uniRank University Ranking and meeting uniRank's :

  • Official Recognition: institutions must be officialy chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate higher education-related organization in Sri Lanka.
  • Degree Authority: they must be authorised to grant bachelor's degrees of at least three years' duration and/or postgraduate master's or doctoral degrees.
  • Delivery Mode: they must deliver courses predominantly in a traditional, face-to-face, non-distance education format.

The uniRank University Ranking aims to provide a non-academic league table of the top public Sri Lankan Universities based on valid and unbiased web metrics provided by independent web intelligence sources rather than data submitted by the Universities themselves, which might not be independently audited.

Top Public Universities in Sri Lanka


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List of Sri Lankan public universities by university country ranking position
# University Town/City
1 University of Colombo Colombo
2 University of Moratuwa Moratuwa
3 University of Peradeniya Peradeniya
4 University of Sri Jayewardenepura Nugegoda
5 University of Kelaniya Kelaniya
6 University of Ruhuna Matara
7 University of Jaffna Jaffna
8 Uva Wellassa University Badulla
9 Rajarata University of Sri Lanka Anuradhapura
10 Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka Belihuloya
11 Wayamba University of Sri Lanka Kuliyapitiya
12 South Eastern University of Sri Lanka Addalachchenai
13 Eastern University, Sri Lanka Batticaloa
14 Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine Yakkala
15 University of the Visual and Performing Arts Colombo
16 University of Vocational Technology Colombo
17 University of Vavuniya Vavuniya
18 Ocean University of Sri Lanka Colombo
19 Buddhist and Pali University Homagama
20 Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka Anuradhapura
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Sri Lankan University Sector Breakdown

Source: uniRank data

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public universities are there in Sri Lanka?

There are 20 officially chartered, licensed or accredited public Sri Lankan higher-education institutions that meet uniRank's selection criteria.

Related Sri Lankan University Lists

Since 2005, UniRank provides original research, valuable information and resources to help you explore and make informed decisions about Sri Lankan universities and their online presence.