TL;DR. Undergraduate meaning: it describes a student studying for a first degree, and an undergraduate degree is the bachelor's level that comes after school and before any master's degree. The undergraduate programs listed on Uplift differ in length, entry rule and awarding university, so compare those points before you choose.
Students hear the word undergraduate at open days and on application forms, and parents often ask what it covers. This guide explains the meaning and shows how undergraduate programs look on Uplift.
What does undergraduate mean?
An undergraduate is a student working towards a first degree, usually a bachelor's degree. The word also describes the courses they take, so an undergraduate degree means a bachelor's degree and an undergraduate student means someone studying for one.
It sits between school and postgraduate study. After A/Ls or an equivalent qualification, you can enter an undergraduate program directly or through a foundation or diploma route. After the bachelor's degree, you can continue to a postgraduate program such as a master's degree. Our guide to the HND meaning in Sri Lanka explains how a diploma can lead into the final years of a bachelor's degree.
What do undergraduate degrees look like in Sri Lanka?
The titles carry the subject family. BA is a Bachelor of Arts, BSc is a Bachelor of Science, BEng is a Bachelor of Engineering, BM is a Bachelor of Management and LLB is a Bachelor of Laws. The word Hons marks the honours version. The program pages on Uplift show how much they vary.
The BA (Hons) in Business Administration at ESOFT Uni is listed as 3 years full-time, awarded by London Metropolitan University, with total tuition of LKR 1,620,000 and an application fee of LKR 25,000.
The BM (Hons) in Accounting at KIU University is listed as 4 years full-time. Its page lists no fee, so ask the institute.
The BSc (Hons) Computing at the Asian Institute of Business and Science is listed as 3 years full-time, awarded by Edge Hill University.
So a single word, undergraduate, covers programs of three years and of four years. Read the length on each course page.
Some programs also let you enter in stages. A foundation year or a diploma can come first, and the bachelor's years follow. That is why two students with the same degree title can have followed different routes to reach it.
Who can start an undergraduate degree?
Each program sets its own entry rule. The ESOFT Uni business program asks for three A/L passes or an equivalent foundation qualification, or a Pearson BTEC Level 3 qualification, and allows direct entry to the final year for people with an HND. The Asian Institute of Business and Science computing program asks for six O/L passes including English and Mathematics, or two A/L passes in any stream. The KIU University accounting program asks for A/L passes in one sitting and credit passes in Mathematics and in Business and Accounting Studies at the O/L. These details come from the course pages, so confirm them with the institute.
If your A/L results are not what you hoped for, there are still routes. Our guides to the top-up degree route and how to apply for a degree in Sri Lanka show the steps.
