The University of Jaffna (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகம், Sinhala: යාපනය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, abbreviated UoJ) is a public university in the city of Jaffna in Sri Lanka. Established in 1974 as the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka, it became an independent, autonomous university in 1979. The university, like all public universities in Sri Lanka, receives the bulk of its funding from the University Grants Commission (UGC), part of the Ministry of Higher Education in Colombo. The UGC and the central government therefore exert a great deal of control over the university.

 

The university has two campuses - the main campus in Thirunelvely in Jaffna and a second campus in Vavuniya. It also has facilities in Kilinochchi, Kaithady and Maruthanarmadam near Chunnakam. The university currently has nine faculties (Agriculture, Applied Science, Arts, Business Studies, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Management Studies & Commerce, Medicine and Science) and nine other academic centers. The university offers numerous undergraduate and postgraduate courses which award a variety of degrees including BA, BBA, BBM, BCom, BFA, B.Pharm, BSc, BSc(Agr), LLB, MA, MEd, MBBS and MSc.

 

The university had 5,721 students and 1,192 employees in 2011. It is the eighth largest university in Sri Lanka in terms of student numbers. In 2010/11 the university admitted 1,581 undergraduates. The university had a recurrent budget of Rs. 827 million and a capital budget of Rs. 316 million in 2011. Its income in 2011 was Rs. 1,159 million of which 99% was grant from the government in Colombo.

 

The chancellor and vice-chancellor of the university are professors M. Sivasuriya and Vasanthy Arasaratnam respectively. The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.