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Sri Lanka University Bursary Calculator

Check in seconds whether your family income is within the UGC bursary ceiling, and estimate the annual payout. Uses the official UGC Commission Circular No. 04/2025 figures — Rs 500,000/year ceiling, Rs 6,500/month for up to 10 months. No signup, sources cited below.

By Induwara AshinsanaUpdated Jun 14, 2026
Check your bursary eligibilityUGC 2025
Circular 04/2025 verified
Rs

Parental income per year. If you are employed, add your own income too (Circular §3.6).

Quick presets

Including you. Raises the limit when 2 or more (§3.4(b)).

Adds Rs 24,000 each, up to 3 children (§3.4(a)).

Already receiving Mahapola?

You cannot hold both Mahapola and a Bursary (§6.9).

Academic progress

Failing an exam can suspend payment (§6.5).

Likely eligible

Your family income is within the applicable ceiling and no disqualifier applies.

Applied income ceiling
Rs 500,000
Income vs ceiling
Rs 140,000 under
Within the limit
Estimated annual bursary
Rs 65,000
Rs 6,500/mo × 10

How your income ceiling is built

ComponentClauseAmount
Base parental-income ceilingAnnual gross family income limit§3.3(a)Rs 500,000
Applied income ceilingRs 500,000

Concession §3.4(b) applies only when 2 or more children from your family are at a University/HEI, and only if your eldest sibling is not already receiving a Bursary or Mahapola.

Estimate only. The Grama Niladhari income certificate and the university welfare division make the final determination.

How it works

The University Grants Commission pays a means-tested monthly bursary to state-university undergraduates from lower-income families who do not hold a Mahapola scholarship. Eligibility and amounts are governed by UGC Commission Circular No. 04/2025— “Bursary Scheme and Payment of Bursaries” — which took effect on 1 April 2025 and replaced the earlier Circular 03/2019. This tool applies that circular's exact rules:

  1. Eligibility conditions (§3.1–3.2). You must be a citizen of Sri Lanka and registered as an internal student on a full-time course at a University or Higher Educational Institution.
  2. Base income ceiling (§3.3(a)). Parental income must be equal to or less than Rs 500,000 per year. If the student is employed, that income is added to the parental income (§3.6).
  3. Concessions raise the ceiling (§3.4). Add Rs 24,000 for each school-going brother or sister aged 19 or under, up to a maximum of 3 children. Add Rs 36,000 per child following a University/HEI course to assess the second child and above, provided the first child is not already on a Bursary/Mahapola.
  4. Means test. You qualify on income when your declared family income is at or below the applicable ceiling (base plus concessions). The tool shows your headroom — how far under or over the ceiling you are.
  5. Mahapola exclusion (§6.9). A Mahapola holder cannot also receive a Bursary, so the tool blocks that combination and lets you compare by declining Mahapola.
  6. Payout (§5, §6.7). Every qualified student receives Rs 6,500 per month under a single category — the old merit/ordinary split was removed — for up to 10 instalments a year, a maximum of Rs 65,000 annually.

The circular sets no numeric GPA threshold. Payment can be stopped or suspended only if a student fails to pass an examination completely or does not pursue studies diligently (§6.5) — which is why this tool asks about academic progress rather than a GPA figure. The ceiling build-up shown in the calculator reconciles line-by-line to the applied figure, so you can verify exactly which concessions were counted.

Worked examples

Single-child family, clearly eligible

Income Rs 360,000 · 1 child at university · no Mahapola

  1. Ceiling = Rs 500,000 base + Rs 0 concessions = Rs 500,000
  2. Income Rs 360,000 ≤ Rs 500,000 ⇒ Eligible
  3. Headroom = Rs 500,000 − Rs 360,000 = Rs 140,000 under
  4. Annual bursary = Rs 6,500 × 10 = Rs 65,000

Two siblings at university — the concession decides it

Income Rs 560,000 · 2 children at university · no Mahapola

  1. Children-at-university concession = 2 × Rs 36,000 = Rs 72,000 (§3.4(b))
  2. Ceiling = Rs 500,000 + Rs 72,000 = Rs 572,000
  3. Income Rs 560,000 ≤ Rs 572,000 ⇒ Eligible
  4. Without the sibling concession (ceiling Rs 500,000) she would be over the limit
  5. Annual bursary = Rs 6,500 × 10 = Rs 65,000

Mahapola holder — mutually exclusive

Income Rs 300,000 · 1 child · already on Mahapola

  1. Mahapola hard bar fires (§6.9) ⇒ Not eligible for the bursary
  2. Income alone (Rs 300,000 ≤ Rs 500,000) would otherwise qualify
  3. If she declined Mahapola, she would be eligible — compare which award pays more

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

The income ceiling, concessions, monthly rate and instalment count were last cross-checked against UGC Commission Circular No. 04/2025 on 2026-06-14. This is an informational estimator — the official determination is made by your university welfare division on the Grama Niladhari income certificate.

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Comments & feedback

Spotted a bug or want an improvement? Tell us — our team reviews every comment, and good ideas get built. Comments are public and anonymous.

Spotted a figure that looks off, or applied the bursary recently?

Email me at [email protected] — corrections ship fast.