University of Colombo: Statistics

Updated:

EduRank

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Position Category
#1631 of 14,131 In the World
#471 of 5,830 In Asia
#1 of 16 In Sri Lanka
#1 of 2 In Colombo
#89 of 2,556 For Classics and Ancient History
Top50% For 87 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Type
Non-profit
Funding
Public-private
partnership
Highest Degree
Doctorate
Website
cmb.ac.lk
Languages
Sinhala;Tamil;English
Acceptance rate
32%*

* The University of Colombo is among the institutions that don't provide data on acceptance rates. This might happen because the university has programs where applicants only need to meet admission requirements to enroll and don't necessarily compete with others.

We estimate the above acceptance rate based on admission statistics of closely ranked nearby universities with similar research profiles that do publish such data.

Acceptance rate & Admissions

Admissions RequirementsGeneral Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced ('A') level in 3 approved subjects with a minimum mark of 40% in the Common General Paper and a higher aggregate mark
Academic CalendarOctober to September

Research profile

University of Colombo has published 9,966 scientific papers with 101,622 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Medicine, Environmental Science, Biology, Sociology, Geography and Cartography, History, Computer Science, Pathology, and Political Science.

Publications
9,966
Citations
101,622

University of Colombo majors

by publication & citation count

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
6,514 / 61,685
Medicine
6,455 / 76,694
Environmental Science
5,878 / 52,323
Biology
5,827 / 74,300
Sociology
4,689 / 44,065
Geography and Cartography
4,541 / 32,034
History
4,189 / 25,960
Computer Science
4,060 / 28,337
Pathology
3,539 / 51,910
Political Science
3,415 / 31,249
Chemistry
3,396 / 45,474
Anthropology
3,327 / 20,982
Environmental Management
3,207 / 18,334
Law
3,185 / 30,441
Classics and Ancient History
3,083 / 16,116
Engineering
2,940 / 31,680
Genetics
2,469 / 33,792
Psychology
2,441 / 24,177
Biochemistry
2,425 / 35,237
Physics
2,264 / 25,087
Mathematics
1,968 / 19,138
Ecology
1,942 / 26,443
Business
1,924 / 10,892
Public Health
1,831 / 29,298
Economics
1,764 / 12,903
Geology
1,762 / 19,890
Philosophy
1,706 / 10,299
Statistics
1,647 / 18,018
Archaeology
1,638 / 12,515
Family medicine
1,472 / 8,652
Surgery
1,458 / 17,848
Psychiatry
1,430 / 16,839
Quantum and Particle physics
1,370 / 15,336
Demography
1,345 / 25,043
Paleontology
1,305 / 15,813
Immunology
1,250 / 19,999
Development Studies
1,222 / 10,933
Library and Information science
1,186 / 4,696
Organic Chemistry
1,171 / 17,860
Health Science
1,168 / 12,148

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1991 34 171
1992 33 243
1993 36 149
1994 34 185
1995 39 172
1996 37 182
1997 44 203
1998 52 209
1999 68 257
2000 62 304
2001 55 316
2002 63 360
2003 78 505
2004 72 549
2005 89 709
2006 80 836
2007 109 998
2008 188 1186
2009 273 1383
2010 270 1765
2011 388 2060
2012 344 2401
2013 338 3081
2014 480 3719
2015 461 4192
2016 497 4332
2017 577 4699
2018 595 5617
2019 607 6562
2020 857 8796
2021 1015 12087
2022 867 14395
2023 763 15355
Academic rankings

Tuition

The tuition table for University of Colombo gives an overview of costs but prices are approximate and subject to change and don't include accommodation, textbooks, or living expenses. The costs of programs might differ significantly for local and international students. The only source of truth for current numbers is the university's official website.

Faculty Program Tuition Cost (LKR)
Arts Bachelor of Arts 150,000
Arts Master of Arts 200,000
Law Bachelor of Laws 250,000
Law Master of Laws 300,000
Management & Finance Bachelor of Commerce 200,000
Management & Finance Master of Business Administration 400,000

The currency used is Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR).

The University of Colombo has financial aid programs and on-campus housing.

Programs and Degrees

The table below displays academic fields with programs and courses that lead to Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degrees offered by University of Colombo.

Note that the table provides a general overview and might not cover all the specific majors available at the university. Always visit the university's website for the most up-to-date information on the programs offered.

Programs Bachelor Master Doctoral
Art & Design Yes Yes Yes
Biology Yes Yes Yes
Business Yes Yes Yes
Chemistry Yes Yes Yes
Computer Science Yes Yes Yes
Economics Yes Yes Yes
Engineering No No No
Environmental Science Yes Yes Yes
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Yes Yes Yes
Mathematics Yes Yes Yes
Medicine Yes Yes Yes
Physics Yes Yes Yes
Psychology Yes Yes Yes
Bachelor's Degree Accountancy, Ayurvedic Medicine, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Fine Arts, Hotel Management, Human Resources, International Business, Law, Management, Marketing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy
Master's Degree (by coursework) American Studies, Analytical Chemistry, Applied Chemistry, Art Education, Ayurvedic Medicine, Biochemistry, Business Administration, Business and Commerce, Clinical Psychology, Computer Science, Development Studies, Developmental Psychology, Educational Administration, Educational Psychology, Environmental Management, Fine Arts, Foreign Languages Education, Genetics, Human Resources, Human Rights, Information Management, Information Technology, Law, Management, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Nuclear Physics, Peace and Disarmament, Philosophy, Plant Pathology, Science Education, Women's Studies
Postgraduate Certificate / Diploma Analytical Chemistry, Applied Chemistry, Art Education, Ayurvedic Medicine, Banking, Educational and Student Counselling, Foreign Languages Education, Health Administration, Meteorology, Microbiology, Physics, Science Education, Toxicology
Master of Philosophy Clinical Psychology, Education, Law, Medicine, Organic Chemistry, Statistics
Doctorate Education, Law, Management, Medicine

University of Colombo alumni

  1. Kumar Sangakkara

    Kumar Sangakkara
    Born in
    Sri Lanka Flag Sri Lanka
    Years
    1977-.. (age 47)
    Occupations
    cricketer
    Biography

    Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara born 27 October 1977 is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer who represented Sri Lanka in 134 Test matches from 2000 to 2015, including fifteen as captain. In first-class cricket, he played for Nondescripts Cricket Club from 1997–98 to 2013–14 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from 2015 to 2017. He also played for numerous franchise teams. He was born in Matale, Central Province.

  2. Ranil Wickremesinghe

    Ranil Wickremesinghe
    Born in
    Sri Lanka Flag Sri Lanka
    Years
    1949-.. (age 75)
    Occupations
    politicianinternational forum participantlawyer
    Biography

    Ranil Wickremesinghe is a Sri Lankan politician who is the 9th and current President of Sri Lanka. He also holds several ministerial positions, including the Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence, Minister of Technology and Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment.

  3. Lasantha Wickrematunge

    Lasantha Wickrematunge
    Born in
    Sri Lanka Flag Sri Lanka
    Years
    1958-2009 (aged 51)
    Occupations
    journalistpoliticianlawyer
    Biography

    Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was a high-profile Sri Lankan journalist, politician, broadcaster and human rights activist who was assassinated in January 2009.

  4. Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

    Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala
    Born in
    Sri Lanka Flag Sri Lanka
    Years
    1979-.. (age 45)
    Occupations
    mountaineerwomen's rights activist
    Biography

    Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala is a Sri Lankan adventurer, professional rock climber, motivational speaker, and LGBT and women's rights activist. She is the first person from Sri Lanka to summit Mount Everest, which she achieved on 21 May 2016. Kuru-Utumpala is an advocate for women's rights in Sri Lanka and has spent most of her adult life researching gender studies and women's rights. She formed a collaboration with fellow mountaineer Johann Peries for several expeditions.

All 10 notable alumni

University of Colombo faculties and divisions

Campus : Sripalee Dance, Design, Fine Arts, Mass Communication, Media Studies, Music, Performing Arts, Radio and Television Broadcasting, Theatre
Centre : Contemporary Indian Studies South Asian Studies
Centre : Education and Research Evaluation Education
Centre : Human Rights Human Rights
Centre : Social Policy Analysis and Research Social Policy
Faculty : Arts Asian Religious Studies, Demography and Population, Economics, English, Geography, History, International Relations and Diplomacy, Journalism, Media Studies, Native Language, Political Sciences, Sociology
Faculty : Education Art Education, Developmental Psychology, Education, Educational Administration, Educational and Student Counselling, Foreign Languages Education, Science Education
Faculty : Graduate Studies Business and Commerce, Clinical Psychology, Development Studies, East Asian Studies, Environmental Management, Gender Studies, Human Resources, Human Rights, Information Management, Peace and Disarmament, Psychology, Public Administration, Regional Planning, Women's Studies
Faculty : Law Law
Faculty : Management and Finance Accountancy, Business and Commerce, Economics, Finance, Hotel Management, Human Resources, International Business, Management, Marketing
Faculty : Medicine Biochemistry, Health Administration, Medicine, Molecular Biology, Physical Therapy, Toxicology
Faculty : Science Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Natural Sciences, Pharmacy, Physics, Zoology
Faculty : Technology Agriculture, Biotechnology, Environmental Studies, Information Technology, Measurement and Precision Engineering
Institute : Agro-technology and Rural Sciences Agriculture, Rural Studies
Institute : Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology
Institute : Human Resource Advancement Human Resources
Institute : Indigenous Medicine Ayurvedic Medicine, Traditional Eastern Medicine
Institute : Library and Information Sciences Information Sciences, Library Science
Institute : Postgraduate Medicine Anaesthesiology, Cardiology, Community Health, Dentistry, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Health Administration, Medicine, Microbiology, Nephrology, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Oral Pathology, Otorhinolaryngology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Pneumology, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Radiology, Rehabilitation and Therapy, Rheumatology, Surgery, Venereology
School : Computing Communication Studies, Computer Science, Information Sciences, Information Technology, Media Studies

General information

Alternative names කොළඹ විශ්ව විද්යාලය
Founded 1921
Motto Wisdom Enlightens

Location and contacts

Address Cumaratunge Munidasa Mawatha PO Box 1490
Colombo, Western Province, 3
Sri Lanka
City population 753,000

University of Colombo in social media