New Country Report: Sri Lanka

QAA has published a report on Sri Lanka's higher education sector and UK transnational education (TNE) market, exclusively for QAA International Insights Members. The report sets out the current policy, cultural and educational developments in the country, and offers a useful case study of current UK-Sri Lanka TNE arrangements.

Sri Lanka is a strong market for UK TNE, with 23,565 students registered in 2018-19 - the third highest number of UK TNE registrations.

However, only around 1,000 Sri Lankan students chose to come to the UK as international students that year, with students tending to favour countries including Australia, the United States and Malaysia for their study abroad.

Sri Lanka does not require additional, in-country accreditation by the Ministry of Higher Education. Instead, authorities rely on the existing quality assurance framework for the awarding institution, which makes it an attractive option for UK universities.

Reform initiatives in Sri Lanka place a value on the quality of education, seeking to ensure a consistent approach in accordance with international standards. With English recognised as a core skill by many employers in the country, and recent approaches to develop educational and professional opportunities for young Sri Lankans, the demand for quality education and training may present further opportunities for UK higher education.

The report is part of QAA's series of Country Reports, offering valuable insights into key countries and regions for UK TNE for QAA Members. We publish these Country Reports to give universities and colleges in the UK contextual information about strong and growing markets for UK TNE, to help them to develop their international operations and enhance their TNE capabilities.