PM Harini Announces University Intake for 2025/2026 to Begin in September

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has announced that the admission process for state universities for the 2025/2026 academic year will begin in the first week of September 2026.

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

She added that individual universities will then set their own academic commencement schedules, with programs expected to begin in early September.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya also confirmed the introduction of two new degree programmes for the upcoming academic year. These include a Bachelor’s degree in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) at the University of Ruhuna with an intake of 50 students, and Electronic and Intelligent Systems Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, also admitting 50 students.

According to official data, 281,810 candidates sat for the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, of whom 176,538 qualified for university admission. From this group, 42,937 students are expected to secure placements in state universities.

The Prime Minister further noted that while the total intake capacity for undergraduate programs will remain unchanged, steps will be taken to improve infrastructure, enhance facilities, and strengthen the overall efficiency and quality of higher education delivery across the university system.