4.3 University admission criteria

Before 1970, university admission was based on merit and the examinations were in English. This policy benefited the English-education Tamils and they scored well in the examinations. The proportion of Tamils admitted to university was significantly higher than their proportion in the population. For example, the number of Tamil and Sinhalese students was almost equal in the more respected medical and engineering courses although the Tamils made up only about 18% of the population.

After 1970, the government introduced new university admission criteria. Tamil students had to score higher marks than the Sinhalese students to enter the same courses in the universities. A fixed number of places in the university were also reserved for the Sinhalese. Admission was no longer based solely on academic results. This system is still in place today. Study Figure 4.15 and Figure 4.16 to understand the impact of the new admission criteria on student enrolment in the university courses.