Interest Free Student Loan Scheme 2026 (11th Intake)
Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education — Sri Lanka.
Student Guide Book translated into Sinhala (ශිෂ්ය අත්පොත සිංහල පරිවර්තනය), Tamil (தமிழ்), and official English PDF.
Executive Summary & Official Notice
The Interest Free Student Loan Scheme (IFSLS) 11th Intake (2026) is a government-funded higher education program conducted by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education in Sri Lanka. It provides interest-free financial loans up to Rs. 1,500,000 (1.5 Million LKR) for eligible students who completed the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examinations in 2023, 2024, or 2025 to pursue recognized degree programs across approved non-state higher education institutes (including SLIIT, NSBM, CINEC, Horizon, SLTC, KIU, ICBT, and others). All loan interest is 100% paid by the government. Online applications are officially open from 17 August 2026 to 27 September 2026. Free unabridged Sinhala (සිංහල ශිෂ්ය අත්පොත), Tamil (தமிழ்), and official English Student Handbooks are available below.
Download Student Handbooks (PDF)
Choose your preferred language. Clicking any button will instantly download the complete unabridged handbook to your device.
ශිෂ්ය අත්පොත (Sinhala Handbook)
පොලී රහිත ශිෂ්ය ණය යෝජනා ක්රමය - 11 වන බඳවා ගැනීම (2026) පිළිබඳ සම්පූර්ණ නිල ශිෂ්ය අත්පොතේ සිංහල පරිවර්තනය.
மாணவர் வழிகாட்டி (Tamil)
வட்டியில்லா மாணவர் கடன் திட்டம் - 11ஆவது சேர்க்கைக்கான முழுமையான வழிகாட்டி நூலின் தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு.
Student Guide Book (English)
Official student guide book issued by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.
වියාචනය සහ නිවේදනය | பொறுப்புத்துறப்பு | Disclaimer
🇱🇰 සිංහල: මෙම අත්පොත ඉංග්රීසි කියවීමට අපහසු සිසුන්ට පහසුවෙන් තේරුම් ගැනීම සඳහා kaveeshainduwara.lk විසින් නොමිලේ ප්රකාශිත ස්වාධීන පරිවර්තනයකි.
🇱🇰 தமிழ்: இந்த வழிகாட்டி நூல் ஆங்கிலத்தில் வாசிப்பதில் சிரமப்படும் மாணவர்கள் எளிதாகப் புரிந்துகொள்வதற்காக kaveeshainduwara.lk இனால் இலவசமாக வெளியிடப்பட்ட ஒரு சுயாதீன மொழிபெயர்ப்பாகும்.
🇬🇧 English: This handbook is an independent translation published for free by kaveeshainduwara.lk to assist students who find reading English difficult in understanding the official guidebook.
Key Intake Specifications
Structured reference data for the 11th Intake Interest Free Student Loan Scheme (IFSLS 2026).
Scheme Summary & Eligibility Criteria
Comprehensive eligibility rules and criteria for Sinhala, Tamil, and English medium applicants.
🇱🇰 සිංහල සාරාංශය සහ ප්රධාන කරුණු
2023, 2024 හෝ 2025 වර්ෂවල අ.පො.ස. උසස් පෙළ (G.C.E. A/L) විභාගයට පෙනී සිටි සුදුසුකම් සපුරන ශ්රී ලාංකික සිසුන්ගෙන් පොලී රහිත ශිෂ්ය ණය යෝජනා ක්රමයේ (IFSLS) 11 වන බඳවා ගැනීම සඳහා අයදුම්පත් කැඳවනු ලැබේ.
- අයදුම්පත් විවෘත කිරීම: 2026 අගෝස්තු 17
- අවසන් දිනය: 2026 සැප්තැම්බර් 27
- උපරිම ණය මුදල: රුපියල් 1,500,000 (ලක්ෂ 15) දක්වා
- ණය පොලිය: සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම රජය මගින් ගෙවනු ලබයි (සිසුවාට පොලී රහිතයි).
- අයදුම් කිරීම: අධ්යාපන අමාත්යාංශයේ නිල වෙබ් අඩවිය ඔස්සේ මාර්ගගතව (Online).
🇱🇰 தமிழ் சுருக்கம் மற்றும் முக்கிய குறிப்புகள்
2023, 2024 அல்லது 2025 ஆம் ஆண்டுகளில் க.பொ.த. உயர்தரப் (A/L) பரீட்சைக்குத் தோற்றிய தகுதியுடைய இலங்கை மாணவர்களிடமிருந்து வட்டியில்லா மாணவர் கடன் திட்டத்தின் (IFSLS) 11ஆவது சேர்க்கைக்கான விண்ணப்பங்கள் கோரப்பட்டுள்ளன.
- விண்ணப்ப ஆரம்பம்: 17 ஆகஸ்ட் 2026
- முடிவுத் திகதி: 27 செப்டம்பர் 2026
- அதிகபட்ச கடன் தொகை: ரூபா 1,500,000 வரை (15 இலட்சம்)
- வட்டி: முழு வட்டியையும் அரசாங்கமே செலுத்துகிறது (மாணவர்களுக்கு பூஜ்ஜிய வட்டி).
- விண்ணப்பிக்கும் முறை: கல்வி அமைச்சின் இணையத்தளத்தின் ஊடாக ஒன்லைனில் விண்ணப்பிக்க வேண்டும்.
Approved Degree Programs & Partner Institutes
The scheme covers a wide range of UGC-recognized undergraduate bachelor's degree programs in state-approved non-state higher educational institutions across Sri Lanka, including:
Information Technology & Computing
Software Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Cyber Security, Information Systems, Interactive Media.
Business & Management
Business Administration, Accounting & Finance, International Business, Human Resource Management, Logistics & Supply Chain.
Health Sciences & Nursing
BSc Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science (MLS), Biomedical Science, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Biotechnology.
Engineering & Technology
Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Quantity Surveying.
Participating Non-State Higher Education Institutes:
ශිෂ්ය අත්පොත (Sinhala Guide) සම්පූර්ණ විස්තරය
පොලී රහිත ශිෂ්ය ණය යෝජනා ක්රමය 2026 (11 වන බඳවා ගැනීම) ශිෂ්ය අත්පොතේ අඩංගු ප්රධාන කරුණු සිංහලෙන්.
මූලික සුදුසුකම් සහ Z-Score සීමාවන්
2023, 2024 හෝ 2025 වර්ෂවල අ.පො.ස. උසස් පෙළ (A/L) විභාගයට පෙනී සිටි සිසුන්ට මෙම යෝජනා ක්රමයට අයදුම් කළ හැකිය. එක් එක් පාඨමාලාවට අදාළව විශ්වවිද්යාල ප්රතිපාදන කොමිෂන් සභාව (UGC) මඟින් නියම කර ඇති අවම ඉසෙඩ් ලකුණු (Z-Score) සහ විෂය සුදුසුකම් සපුරා තිබීම අනිවාර්ය වේ.
ණය මුදල සහ ජීවන වියදම් දීමනාව
පාඨමාලා ගාස්තු සඳහා උපරිම වශයෙන් රුපියල් 1,500,000 (ලක්ෂ 15) දක්වා සම්පූර්ණ පොලී රහිත ණය මුදලක් ලබා ගත හැකිය. මීට අමතරව සිසුන්ගේ දෛනික ජීවන වියදම් (Day-to-day allowance) පියවා ගැනීම සඳහා වසරකට රුපියල් 75,000 බැගින් (උපරිම රු. 300,000 දක්වා) අමතර ණයක් ද ලබා ගත හැක.
අනුමත පෞද්ගලික විශ්වවිද්යාල සහ උපාධි
SLIIT, NSBM, CINEC, Horizon Campus, SLTC, KIU, ICBT ඇතුළු ශ්රී ලංකාවේ පිළිගත් රාජ්ය නොවන උසස් අධ්යාපන ආයතන රැසක තොරතුරු තාක්ෂණ (IT), මෘදුකාංග ඉංජිනේරු (Software Engineering), හෙද (Nursing), ව්යාපාර කළමනාකරණ ආදී උපාධි පාඨමාලා ගණනාවක් මේ යටතේ හැදෑරිය හැකිය.
ණය ආපසු ගෙවීම සහ සහන කාලය (Grace Period)
පාඨමාලාව හදාරන සම්පූර්ණ කාලය පුරාවට සහ උපාධිය සම්පූර්ණ කිරීමෙන් පසු වසරක සහන කාලයක් (1-Year Grace Period) හිමි වේ. ඉන්පසු වසර 7ක් හෝ 8ක් ඇතුළත කිසිදු පොලියක් රහිතව මුල් ණය මුදල පමණක් වාරික වශයෙන් ගෙවිය හැක.
ශිෂ්ය අත්පොත සිංහල පරිවර්තනය (PDF) දැන්ම බාගත කරන්න
අධ්යාපන අමාත්යාංශය මඟින් නිකුත් කරන ලද නිල මාර්ගෝපදේශ පොතේ සම්පූර්ණ සිංහල පරිවර්තනය පහත බොත්තමෙන් ක්ෂණිකව බාගත කරගත හැක.
Essential Application Requirements
Documents checklist, guarantor (ඇපකරුවන්) eligibility, and critical guidelines to ensure your application gets approved.
Required Documents
අවශ්ය ලියකියවිලි ලැයිස්තුව- National Identity Card (NIC): Clear color copies/scans of the applicant and parents/guardians.
- G.C.E. A/L Results Sheet: Official result sheet with Index Number, Year (2023, 2024, or 2025), and Z-Score.
- G.C.E. O/L Certificate: Confirming Ordinary Level English and Mathematics passes.
- Grama Niladhari Certificate: Official residence confirmation certified by the Divisional Secretariat.
- Income Proof / Pay Slips: Employment verification or certified income declaration of parents.
- Applicant's Birth Certificate: Original certified copy showing nationality and lineage.
Guarantor Eligibility
ඇපකරුවන්ගේ සුදුසුකම්- Two (2) Guarantors Required: Usually one parent/guardian plus one independent eligible guarantor.
- Government / State Sector: Permanent public servants or semi-government employees without adverse records.
- Private Sector Professionals: Permanent employees in registered companies contributing to EPF/ETF.
- Age & Salary Criteria: Guarantors must typically be under 55-60 years and meet partner bank salary minimums.
- Property / Business Owners: Self-employed individuals with registered business tax or property records.
Mistakes to Avoid
අයදුම් කිරීමේදී සිදුවන වැරදි- Incorrect A/L Year / Index: A mismatch in your A/L index number leads to immediate automatic rejection.
- Subject Prerequisite Mismatch: Selecting degrees without required A/L stream passes (e.g. Science for Nursing/Bio).
- Unordered Course Priorities: Ensure your top dream university degree is set as Priority #1.
- Submitting on Deadline Day: Avoid last-minute server congestion before 27 September 2026.
- Blurry Certificate Photos: Always upload clear, certified document scans to avoid delays.
How to Apply (Step-by-Step)
Follow these 4 essential steps to submit your application successfully before the September 27, 2026 deadline.
Download & Read the Student Handbook
Carefully read the eligibility criteria for your preferred degree program using the Sinhala, Tamil, or English handbooks downloaded above.
Register Online on the Official MOHE Portal
Visit the official portal at studentloans.mohe.gov.lk, create your applicant profile, and enter your A/L examination index and personal details.
Select Degree Preferences & Institute
Select your course preferences in order of priority. Ensure you meet the minimum subject and stream criteria specified for each choice.
Submit Application & Retain Acknowledgement
Submit the completed online application before 27 September 2026. Download and print the confirmation receipt for your records.
Official Ministry Portals & Directory
Use the official Ministry portals below to explore degree lists, check accredited institutes, and register online:
Official Ministry Notice Poster
Official publication by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Sri Lanka
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions regarding the 2026 Interest Free Student Loan Scheme (11th Intake) in Sri Lanka.
ශිෂ්ය ණය අත්පොත සිංහලෙන් නොමිලේ බාගත (Download) කරන්නේ කෙසේද?
මෙම පිටුවේ ඉහළ ඇති Download Student Handbooks කොටස වෙත ගොස් "Download Sinhala PDF" බොත්තම ක්ලික් කිරීමෙන් කිසිදු මුදල් අය කිරීමකින් තොරව සම්පූර්ණ සිංහල අත්පොතම ඔබගේ දුරකථනයට හෝ පරිගණකයට ක්ෂණිකව බාගත (Direct Download) කරගත හැක.
What documents are required to apply for the student loan?
Applicants must provide certified color copies of the applicant and parents' NICs, G.C.E. A/L result sheet with Z-Score, G.C.E. O/L certificate, Grama Niladhari residence certificate, applicant's birth certificate, and parents' income verification/salary slips.
Who qualifies as a guarantor (ඇපකරු) for the student loan in Sri Lanka?
Two guarantors are required. Typically, one parent/guardian plus one independent eligible guarantor who is a permanent government, semi-government, or private sector employee contributing to EPF/ETF with an eligible monthly salary, under 55-60 years of age.
ශිෂ්ය ණය සඳහා ජීවන වියදම් දීමනාවක් (Day-to-Day Allowance) ලැබෙනවාද?
ඔව්. පාඨමාලා ගාස්තුවට අමතරව සිසුන්ට නේවාසිකාගාර, ප්රවාහන හා දෛනික ආහාර වියදම් සඳහා වසරකට රුපියල් 75,000 බැගින් (සම්පූර්ණ උපාධි කාලය සඳහාම උපරිම රුපියල් 300,000 දක්වා) පොලී රහිත ජීවන වියදම් ණයක් ලබා ගැනීමේ පහසුකම පවතී.
What is the Interest Free Student Loan Scheme (IFSLS) 2026?
The Interest Free Student Loan Scheme (IFSLS) is an initiative by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education. It enables students who qualified in the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examinations to follow approved undergraduate degree programs at accredited non-state higher education institutes with an interest-free loan of up to Rs. 1,500,000, where the full interest is borne by the government.
Who is eligible for the 11th Intake in 2026?
Students who sat for the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examinations in the years 2023, 2024, or 2025 and obtained simple passes (S grades) in all three subjects in one sitting with eligibility for university admission are eligible to apply. Specific minimum marks and subject requirements apply based on the chosen degree stream.
What is the closing deadline for applications?
The online application portal opened on 17 August 2026 and will officially close on 27 September 2026. Late applications will not be accommodated by the Ministry of Education.
How does loan repayment work after graduation?
Students receive a grace period throughout the duration of their degree course plus an additional one-year grace period following graduation before repayment begins. The loan principal is then repaid over a flexible 7 to 8 year installment plan without any interest.