After establishing similar facilities in Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, and Mauritius, Curtin University Colombo is the institution’s fifth global campus.
“Transforming our presence in Sri Lanka into a fully-fledged campus strengthens our commitment to the region and builds on our long-standing, successful partnership with the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT),” said Curtin University vice-chancellor, Harlene Hayne.
According to Hayne, 2,500 Sri Lankan students have graduated from Curtin University since the early 2000s.
With the new campus, the institute will be able to broaden the number of undergraduate and postgraduate offerings in Sri Lanka in the next few years.
Now, we will not only see those numbers grow but will also be able to expand our current offerings in engineering, computing, and business into new industry-relevant fields
Harlene Hayne, Curtis University
“We have already seen more than 2,500 Sri Lankan students graduate with Curtin degrees since the early 2000s, and now we will not only see those numbers grow but will also be able to expand our current offerings in engineering, computing, and business into new industry-relevant fields such as health, AI and the humanities,” said Hayne.
Curtin University currently has 700 students enrolled in its programs in Sri Lanka, and applications are now open for Semester 1, 2025 at the new Curtin Colombo campus.
SLIIT, one of the few private universities from Sri Lanka to feature in global rankings, specialises in fields like technology and management.
SLIIT has held a long-standing partnership with Curtin University, helping students across Sri Lanka apply for various CU undergraduate degree programs through its institute.
Most of these degrees carry Australian accreditation but are also recognised in Sri Lanka and many other countries.
The partnership between the two institutions has now led to the establishment of a branch campus in Colombo.
“The partnership has successfully brought international best practices into Sri Lankan higher education while providing local students with access to high quality international education,” said Curtin University Colombo chairman and SLIIT vice chancellor, Lalith Gamage.
“Having a fully-fledged campus of Curtin University, which is consistently ranked within the top 1% of universities globally, is of national significance and augurs well for the future of higher education in this region.”
According to Gamage, Curtin University Colombo will also help “foster Curtin University Colombo Chairman and SLIIT Vice Chancellor, Professor Lalith Gamage”.
As per a statement by Curtin University, students at the Sri Lanka campus will also have the opportunity to transfer to any of Curtin’s campuses in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, or Mauritius.
Students of Curtin Colombo are eligible to apply to study a semester at any of their campuses while paying the Sri Lanka course fees.
Curtin University is one of many institutions that are capitalising on Sri Lanka’s transnational education opportunities.
According to data shared by Acumen with The PIE News, over 60,000 students enrol annually in various programs offered by private institutions in Sri Lanka, with a significant portion of these through TNE pathways.
Moreover, Australian TNE enrolments in Sri Lanka reached 3,145 in 2022, marking a three-fold increase since 2018.