ELIGIBILITY & APPLICATION

Eligibility and How to Apply

Admission is competitive and subject to the eligibility, documentary and selection requirements published by the University Grants Commission for the relevant academic year.

Who May Apply?

The current foreign-admission provision includes:

  • Children of Sri Lankan diplomatic personnel stationed abroad
  • Children of foreign diplomatic personnel working in Sri Lanka
  • Applicants from SAARC countries
  • Other eligible Sri Lankan applicants with foreign qualifications
  • Other foreign applicants

Applicants must provide the relevant Sri Lankan or foreign passport evidence.

Applicants should read the current UGC handbook carefully to confirm that their nationality, passport, residence and educational circumstances meet the applicable requirements.

General Foreign-Qualification Requirements

Applicants must hold a foreign qualification obtained outside Sri Lanka that is accepted by the UGC as equivalent to the Sri Lankan G.C.E. Advanced Level examination.

When determining equivalency, the UGC considers whether:

  • The study programme leading to the examination involved at least two years of full-time study
  • At least 90% of the timetabled teaching time was devoted equally to the three required subjects
  • The learning outcomes of the relevant subjects are comparable to Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework Level 2
  • The required passes were obtained in one sitting under one recognised examining board

Medicine-Specific Academic Requirements

Academic Year 2025/2026

  • Applicants require two credit passes and one simple pass in Biology, Chemistry and Physics at the Advanced Level examination.
  • Medicine is listed under Course Code 001, and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, is one of the institutions offering the course.
  • For Medicine, Biology, Chemistry and Physics must each account for approximately 30% of the teaching time during the relevant two-year programme.
  • Academic requirements must be checked against the UGC handbook applicable to the relevant year of application.

Requirements for Sri Lankan Passport Holders Educated Overseas

Sri Lankan applicants are generally required to have studied abroad for at least three academic years immediately before sitting the qualifying examination.

Supporting documents may include:

  • Passport pages covering the overseas study period
  • Travel-movement records
  • Foreign and Sri Lankan school-leaving certificates
  • Birth certificate
  • Parent or guardian employment documents
  • Parent or guardian passport evidence
  • Parent or guardian travel-movement records
  • Evidence of legal guardianship, where applicable
  • Legally valid affidavits where required

Separate provisions apply to children of Sri Lankan diplomatic personnel. Applicants in this category should consult the relevant section of the current UGC handbook.

English-Language Proficiency

Academic Year 2025/2026

Applicants whose primary language is not English, or whose previous education was not conducted in English, must provide evidence of English-language proficiency.

The current minimum requirements are:

  • TOEFL: 79
  • IELTS: 6.5
  • PTE: 51–60

A duly certified copy of the relevant certificate must be submitted.

How to Apply

Step 1 — Read the Current Handbook

Review the current UGC Foreign Admissions Handbook in full.

Step 2 — Confirm Your Eligibility

Check:

  • Passport and applicant category
  • Foreign-qualification equivalency
  • Biology, Chemistry and Physics requirements
  • Overseas education and residence requirements
  • English-language proficiency
  • Documentary requirements
  • Financial requirements

Step 3 — Complete the Current Application Form

Use only the application form issued by the UGC for the relevant academic year.

Step 4 — Prepare Certified Supporting Documents

Ensure that all documents are complete, correctly certified and translated into English when required.

Step 5 — Pay the UGC Application-Processing Fee

Submit proof of payment with the application.

Step 6 — Submit the Application to the UGC

For the 2025/2026 academic year, applicants must:

  • Send the hard-copy application and supporting documents to the UGC by courier
  • Send a complete scanned PDF copy, including all attachments, to the official UGC email address by the closing date

Step 7 — Await Acknowledgement

The UGC normally acknowledges receipt of the hard-copy application by email. An acknowledgement confirms receipt only and does not indicate eligibility, processing completion or selection.

Step 8 — Await the Final UGC Decision

The UGC assesses eligible applications and communicates final offers to successful candidates.

Application Destination

Academic Year 2025/2026

Deputy Secretary/University Admissions
University Grants Commission
No. 20, Ward Place
Colombo 07
Sri Lanka

Email for the scanned application:
foreignadmissions@ugc.ac.lk

Formal applications must not be submitted to the Faculty of Medicine.