TL;DR. Degree courses in Sri Lanka cover business, computing, engineering, health science, psychology, law, education and creative subjects, and each program on Uplift lists its length, its awarding university and its entry rule. Programs run for three years or four years, and a one-year top-up can finish a degree after an HND, so compare the structure before you compare the subject.
After O/Ls or A/Ls, the first question is usually which subject to study. The second is how the degree is built. This guide walks through the study areas on Uplift and shows how to read a degree page, using programs that are listed today.
What degree courses can you study in Sri Lanka?
Uplift groups programs into study areas, and each area has child areas that narrow the subject. The parent areas that hold degrees include business, computing, engineering and technology, health science, psychology, law, education and art and creative design.
Here is how a few degrees look on their course pages today:
BA (Hons) in Business Administration at ESOFT Uni: 3 years, awarded by London Metropolitan University, total tuition LKR 1,620,000.
BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering at ESOFT Uni: 3 years, awarded by Kingston University, total tuition LKR 1,420,000.
LLB (Hons) Law at KIU University: 4 years, full-time.
Bachelor of Science Honours in Psychology at KIU University: 4 years, full-time.
BSc (Hons) Biotechnology at the Asian Institute of Business and Science: 3 years, awarded by Edge Hill University.
How long does a degree take in Sri Lanka?
The answer depends on how the program is built. The course pages above show two common patterns: three-year degrees designed with a UK partner university, and four-year degrees at KIU University. There is also a shorter route. A top-up is a final year that follows an HND or a similar diploma. For example, the BA (Hons) in Education top-up at ESOFT Uni is listed as 1 year with total tuition of LKR 750,000.
Our guide to the top-up degree route explains who it suits, and the HND guide explains the diploma that comes before it.
What entry rule do degree courses ask for?
Every program states its own rule, and the rules differ. The KIU University BM (Hons) in Accounting accepts three A/L passes in the commerce stream including Accounting, or three passes in any stream with credit passes in Mathematics and Business and Accounting Studies at O/L. The ESOFT Uni computing degree asks for three A/L passes or an equivalent foundation qualification. The AIBS computing degree accepts six O/L passes including English and Mathematics, or two A/L passes in any stream.
If your A/L result is below what a degree asks for, a foundation year or a diploma can bridge the gap. Our guide to foundation programs after O/Ls and the page on study options after low A/L results cover those routes.
Who awards the degree?
Some programs are awarded by the UK university that designed them, such as London Metropolitan University, Kingston University or Edge Hill University. The course page lists the awarding university, and it is the name that will appear on your certificate. Our guide to private universities in Sri Lanka shows how to compare institutes on the points that matter.
How do you compare fees across degree courses?
Quote the figure on each course page and compare like with like: total tuition, application fee and payment plan. Many pages list no fee at all, and in that case the right step is to ask the institute for a written fee schedule. Our guide to how to read and compare degree fees sets out the questions to ask.
