The university’s partnership with the American Education Centre, now ANC, in Colombo and Kandy has been offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in business administration, psychology, and IT.
But the new campus will expand the academic portfolio further to include law, computing, and biosciences, providing career-focused pathways aligned with Sri Lanka’s skills needs and its Vision 2048 development agenda for a resilient, globally competitive nation.
According to the university, the redesignation of the partnership gives Sri Lankan students access to UWL’s academic standards, degree pathways, global reputation as the career university, enhanced branding, and representation.
We are proud of our track record in Sri Lanka, where close to 5,000 students have already graduated with UWL degrees
Peter John, UWL
“The launch of the University of West London’s Sri Lanka branch campus is an important step in our mission to deliver outstanding, career-focused higher education internationally,” stated Peter John, vice-chancellor and president of UWL.
“We are proud of our track record in Sri Lanka, where close to 5,000 students have already graduated with UWL degrees, and we look forward to providing even greater opportunities for Sri Lankan students.”
The new campus, aiming to boost Sri Lanka’s knowledge economy by “retaining talent, broadening access to international education, and improving graduate employability”, is expected to begin operations once it receives regulatory approvals in both the UK and Sri Lanka.
“This development gives Sri Lankan students the opportunity to study at a world-class British university without leaving home, with a distinct campus identity that reflects the University of West London’s academic excellence and career-focused ethos,” stated Jagath Alwis, chairman of ANC.
UWL’s Colombo campus will follow its campuses in Ras al Khaimah (UAE) and Athens (Greece), the latter in partnership with the Business College of Athens (BCA).
With a private education market valued at over $1.1 billion, and annually over 60,000 students from the country enrolling in mainly transnational education programs, as per data highlighted by Acumen, Sri Lanka is one of the biggest TNE markets in Asia. It’s an especially important market for UK universities, which are in the middle of an overseas campuses boom across South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Some 45-50 UK institutions have TNE partnerships in Sri Lanka, making it the second-largest host of UK TNE students, with enrolments growing 104% since 2019/20.
The growth also aligns with Sri Lanka’s ambitions to become an education hub, aiming to attract international students, particularly from India, Pakistan, and Malaysia.
Sri Lanka already hosts two Australian university campuses, with Edith Cowan University launching in August 2023 and Curtin University in December 2024.
Australian TNE enrolments in the country reached 3,145 in 2022, a three-fold increase since 2018.
Though plans are yet to be confirmed, the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT Madras) is also planning a campus in Kandy, Central Sri Lanka, primarily offering engineering courses.
