University of Sri Jayewardenepura

The University of Sri Jayewardenepura is the largest university in Sri Lanka in terms of student population – students number around 13,000 in total.

With a history that dates back to 1873, the university is the second oldest university in Sri Lanka. The university was formerly known as Vidyodaya Pirivena but in 1959 it was officially established as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

When the university was first founded it was home to five faculties: Buddhist studies, philosophy, languages, arts and Ayurveda and science. It has since expanded and is now home to eight faculties: humanities and social sciences, applied sciences, management studies and commerce, medical sciences, graduate studies, engineering, technology, and allied health sciences.

The university conducts a lot of research and innovation in Sri Lanka. It has a research council of over 20 research centres including the Centre for Cancer Research, the Centre for Forestry and Environment and the Centre for Biotechnology. The university also has an Invention, Innovation and Venture Creation Council, which consists of over 50 entrepreneurs and stakeholders with more than 15 patents.

The university is located in Gangodawila, in Nugegoda, just outside of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. Colombo is the country’s largest city in terms of population and is also the financial centre.