University admissions for 2025/2026 academic year to begin in Sept.: PM Harini

The admission process for students to government universities for the 2025/2026 academic year is scheduled to commence in the first week of September 2026, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has announced.

Speaking in Parliament today (06) in response to a question raised by a Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister stated that all student registration lists will be submitted to the respective universities by August 31, 2026, following the release of university admission cut-off marks.

She further noted that universities will subsequently be able to determine the specific commencement dates for academic programs beginning in early September.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya also confirmed that two new degree programs will be introduced for the upcoming academic year. These include a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) degree at the University of Ruhuna with an intake of 50 students, and an Electronic and Intelligent Systems Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, also admitting 50 students.

According to official figures, 281,810 candidates sat for the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, of whom 176,538 qualified for university entrance. Out of these, 42,937 students are expected to be admitted to state universities this year.

The Prime Minister added that while the overall intake for undergraduate programs will remain unchanged, measures will be taken to enhance facilities and improve the quality and efficiency of higher education delivery.