UoC Ranked No. 1 Among Sri Lankan Universities: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026

The Times Higher Education (THE) released its 2026 World University Rankings on October 9, 2025. This year’s ranking includes 2,191 institutions out of over 25000 from around the world, with the University of Colombo placed in the 1001–1200 band. Among the Sri Lankan universities evaluated for the 2026 rankings, the University of Colombo has secured the top position, becoming the No. 1 university in Sri Lanka according to THE World University Rankings 2026.
THE’s World University Rankings are developed based on five key performance pillars, each representing an important dimension of excellence in higher education. These are: Teaching (29.5%) – the learning environment; Research Environment (29%) – volume, income, and reputation; Research Quality (30%) – citation impact, research strength, research excellence, and research influence; International Outlook (7.5%) – staff, students, and research; and Industry (4%) – income and patents.

Source:
World University Rankings 2026: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/latest/world-ranking (on Thursday, October 09, 2025)
Methodology: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/methodology
For more details about the University of Colombo rankings: https://cmb.ac.lk/rankings