COLOMBO — Colombo retains its position as the country’s highest-ranked university, while Moratuwa and Kelaniya record gains.
Eight of the 12 Sri Lankan universities included in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027 have recorded lower positions, with several leading institutions falling to their weakest rankings in four years as competition across the region intensifies.
The University of Colombo dropped 46 places to 364th, while the University of Peradeniya and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura were ranked 389th and 398th, respectively.
Despite the decline, Colombo retained its position as Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked university for the fifth consecutive year. All three institutions remained among Asia’s top 400 universities.
Of the 12 Sri Lankan institutions included in the latest rankings, eight declined, two improved and two retained their previous positions.
Moratuwa and Kelaniya Improve Their Rankings
The University of Moratuwa recorded the strongest improvement among Sri Lankan institutions, climbing 37 places to 517th.
The University of Kelaniya also advanced, reaching 687th after previously being placed in the 731–740 ranking band, representing an improvement of at least 44 places.
These gains came as universities across Asia faced stronger competition in an expanded ranking system.
The 2027 edition includes 1,722 universities, with 195 institutions appearing in the rankings for the first time.
However, QS indicated that the additional universities were not the main reason for the decline of Colombo and Sri Jayewardenepura. Instead, established regional competitors improved their performance more rapidly.
Employer Reputation Affects Leading Universities
Employer Reputation, which accounts for 20% of the QS Asia ranking methodology, was among the principal factors affecting Colombo and Sri Jayewardenepura.
The indicator assesses universities through an international survey of employers concerning the quality of graduates.
Colombo’s Employer Reputation score declined by 2.8 points, while Sri Jayewardenepura recorded a reduction of 4.3 points.
Nevertheless, the University of Colombo remains the only Sri Lankan institution ranked among Asia’s top 200 universities for Employer Reputation, securing 192nd place.
The findings indicate that universities must continue strengthening relationships with employers while improving the recognition of their graduates in regional and international labour markets.
Academic Staffing and Student Ratios Influence Results
Changes in student-to-academic staff ratios and indicators measuring the proportion of doctoral-qualified academic staff also affected Sri Lankan universities.
These measures form part of QS’s assessment of teaching resources and institutional academic capacity.
The Faculty/Student Ratio carries a weighting of 10%, while the Staff with a PhD indicator accounts for 5% of the overall regional ranking.
Sri Lankan universities lost ground relative to regional competitors in both indicators, although a decline in ranking does not necessarily indicate that every institution experienced a deterioration in its underlying academic resources.
The latest results underline the increasingly competitive environment facing Sri Lanka’s higher education sector, where universities must strengthen employer relationships, academic staffing, research performance and international engagement to maintain their positions.
