As of this year, 2025, Sri Lanka's higher education sector comprises of private and public universities striving to maintain a pace with the growing demand for university education. Sri Lanka has a total of 17 public universities governed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), among which are the prominent institutions of the Universities of Colombo, and Peradeniya. Altogether, these universities have a student enrollment of about 86,061 undergraduates. But, with a limited capacity, State universities cannot accommodate the growing number of qualified applicants. In 2022/2023 alone, only 45,000 students were admitted into State universities; though 166,967 were eligible to be admitted, only a paltry 27% got in.
As a substitute for filling the gap, the private university industry has expanded significantly. There are, by 2025, 49 private universities across the country with 27 of them non-State degree-granting institutions. These institutions generally partner with foreign universities and offer degrees in fields such as management, business, information technology (IT), and engineering. Corporate giants such as the Sri Lanka Institute of IT have over 19,000 students on their rolls. With their combined total annual student intake capacity of 50,000 to 60,000, private universities are now the significant absorber of the demand not absorbed by the public sector and a principal alternative for students who do not find places at State universities.
SL higher edu. in transition
Sri Lanka's higher education sector has experienced revolutionary changes in recent years, driven by the increasing demand, the limited capacity at State universities, the growth of private sector institutions, and the rise of transnational education (TNE) partnerships. Socio-economic forces, shifting student needs, and government policies have added to these pressures. In the 2022/2023 academic year, 274,304 students sat for the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A/L) exam, 166,967 were eligible for university admission, 84,176 applied, and only 42,147 received admission to State universities. In 2023/2024 (the latter being last year), 173,444 were eligible and 87,000 applied, but admission numbers are yet to be announced. Due to the limited availability, many students study overseas, with over 29,000 Sri Lankans overseas in 2020. Numbers increased in 2022, to 12,170 in Australia, 5,000 plus in Canada, and 5,761 in the United Kingdom (UK). In order to absorb the excess demand, 27 listed private universities now enroll 50,000–60,000 students per annum. Sri Lanka is also the UK's third-largest TNE market, with over 50,000 students on affiliated courses.
SL edu. sector and foreign grads
As of 2022, Sri Lanka attracted approximately 1,571 foreign students for higher studies. In an attempt to boost the numbers, a policy introduced in August 2024 reserves 5% of State university places for foreign students and offers 27 non-State degree-awarding institutions for entry. The goal is to transform Sri Lanka into a regional learning centre with a focus on students from neighbouring South Asian countries. While there is limited detailed background information about the students, the strategically positioned country's education cost advantage makes it more appealing. Conversely, outward student mobility continues to accelerate. Sri Lankan students in Australia grew by 41% from 2019 to 2024 (19,000 students), in Canada by 443% from 2019 to 2023 (8,075 students), and in the UK by 84% in 2022/2023 (5,500 students).
Negative influence of foreign grads
The recruitment of Sri Lankan students overseas for education has serious economic consequences with the loss of foreign exchange estimated at between United States Dollars ($) 800 million to $ 2 billion annually, about 1% of the country's gross domestic product. This is also a great percentage of Sri Lanka's export revenue. Many of them remain on after graduation and are part of the brain drain. Higher salaries and rising standards of living in countries like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia drive the TNE trend. Governments in Sri Lanka have resisted it by encouraging TNE partnerships in order to develop national education. In particular, Sri Lanka was the UK's second-largest collaborator in TNE in 2023 and accounted for 10% of all UK TNE enrollments.
SL edu. sector and foreign med grads
Sizeable numbers of Sri Lankan students pursue medical degrees abroad due to limited opportunities at home. While precise figures are unavailable, they mainly study in China, Russia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Malaysia on grounds of affordability, English-medium programmes, and perceived excellence. Others travel to the UK, the US, or Australia, but, at greater cost. In Bangladesh, a five-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree costs $ 30,000–50,000 in fees, and $ 5,000–7,000 in living expenses, totaling $ 35,000–57,000. In India, a 5.5-year MBBS costs $ 40,000–80,000, and $ 7,000–10,000 in living expenses, totaling $ 47,000–90,000. In China, a six-year English-medium MBBS costs $ 30,000–50,000, and $ 7,000–10,000 in living expenses, totaling $ 37,000–60,000. In Russia, a six-year MBBS costs $ 30,000–45,000, and $ 6,000–9,000 in living expenses, totaling $ 36,000–54,000. In the UK, a five-six-year MBBS or MBChB is $ 180,000–250,000, with $ 70,000–90,000 for living costs, totaling $ 250,000–340,000. In Canada, a four-year Doctor of Medicine (postgraduate) (MD) degree is $ 90,000–140,000, with $ 60,000–80,000 in living costs, totaling $ 150,000–220,000. In the US, a four-year MD is $ 180,000–240,000, with $ 80,000–100,000 in living costs, totaling $ 260,000–340,000. These figures reflect the cost to families due to a lack of appropriate local alternatives.
Opening SL education sector
Why is it needed to open up the SL education sector for med students as well? Opening up Sri Lanka’s education sector to accommodate more medical students is a crucial step in addressing both the domestic demand and broader healthcare workforce-related needs. Each year, tens of thousands of students aspire to enter the medical field, but, the limited capacity in State universities restricts access. For instance, in the 2022/2023 academic year, while 166,967 students were eligible for university admission, only 42,147 were admitted to State universities across all fields, fewer than 3,000 of whom secured places in medical faculties. This stark mismatch forces many qualified students to seek costly medical education abroad. In 2022 alone, over 12,000 Sri Lankan students were enrolled in Australian institutions, with more than 5,000 in Canada and 5,761 receiving UK study visas, many of them for medicine and health-related programmes. Moreover, pursuing an MBBS degree abroad can cost between $ 35,000 and $ 340,000 depending on the country, placing a heavy financial burden on families. By expanding the local capacity through public-private partnerships, new medical faculties, or regulated private medical institutions, Sri Lanka can retain talent, reduce outbound student migration, and develop a sustainable healthcare workforce to meet national needs, especially as the country faces a growing demand for healthcare professionals amid demographic and epidemiological transitions.
Concluding remarks
In brief, suspending the admission of local medical students into the General John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) has severe consequences for Sri Lanka's healthcare and higher education sectors. Over 160,000 students pass to gain entry into a university annually, but, less than 42,000 get admitted to a State university and less than 3,000 to faculties of medicine. The KDU has always played the role of bridging this deficiency by providing an alternative, government-sanctioned, and quality-checked pathway to becoming a doctor. With Sri Lanka facing growing pressures for healthcare professionals due to a mounting population with age and rising non-communicable diseases, restricting medical study options is against national health objectives and workforce-related needs. Besides, the unavailability of local medical seats has compelled many students to go abroad for studies. Over 29,000 Sri Lankans applied for foreign education, particularly medicine, in Bangladesh, India, China, and Russia in 2020, sparing no amount from at least $ 35,000 to as high as $ 300,000 per degree. This loss not only imposes a cost on the family but also an enormous foreign exchange drain as well as a brain drain. Ironically, the majority of these students later work in Sri Lankan hospitals, and questions are actually being asked concerning the uniformity and comparability of medical education standards across frontiers. This raises several questions: Why are medical studies restricted when other fields such as business, IT, and engineering are open? Is it necessary to become a doctor that one must possess a superior intellectual ability that warrants such exclusivity? And why is the drain of funds for medical studies outside not considered on the same priority scale as other economic issues?
The only workable solution is to expand access on a merit criterion not affordability alone. Student achievement, e.g., Z score reached in the GCE A/L examination, should be accorded priority over financial status in entry. Additionally, the UGC should be empowered to track and ensure the quality of all degree programmes, including medicine, within public and private institutions. An inclusive, regulated, and merit-based higher education system must be put in place to ensure equity, quality, and sustainable national development.
(The writer is a Professor in Management and Organisation Studies at the Colombo University’s Management and Finance Faculty)
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication