University of Sri Jayewardenepura

The university dates back to 1873, when the Vidyodaya Pirivena was established by the Buddhist monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thero, who established the pirivena as a centre of Oriental learning.

In 1956, the new prime minister Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike wanted to promote national languages and culture; it was decided to confer university status on the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara pirivenas. The Vidyodaya University and Vidyalankara University Act No. 45 of 1958 established universities at the Vidyodyaya Pirivena at Maligakanda and the Vidyalankara Pirivena at Kelaniya; the former was renamed the Vidyodaya University of Ceylon.

A new location was selected in 1961 at Gangodawila, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of central Colombo and within walking distance of the High-Level Road (A4) trunk road connecting Colombo and Ratnapura. Part of the land belonged to the nearby Sunethradevi Pirivena, associated with King Parakramabahu VI (1412–1467). The university moved to the new site on 22 November 1961, under the direction of Sri Soratha Thero. The vice-chancellor invited the Department of Government Archives to establish its archives on the campus, near the university library, to encourage research. The Higher Education Act (No. 20 of 1966) opened Sri Lanka's universities to women.

The university expanded during the tenure of Walpola Rahula Thero as vice-chancellor. Rahula Thero was succeeded in 1969 by linguist D. E. Hettiarachchi. At the time, future President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa chaired the campus' United Corporations and Mercantile Union local.

The university's revitalization continued until the 1971 JVP insurrection, when the political atmosphere heavily affected its students' education. After the insurrection, the university was converted into a detention camp for suspected insurgents in 1971 and 1972; lectures were delivered at other locations.

The following year, all universities became campuses of the University of Ceylon under the University of Ceylon Act (No. 1 of 1972). In 1978, their university status was restored.

The university's full-time student population is over 18,000, enrolled in the faculties of applied sciences, engineering, graduate studies, humanities and social sciences, management studies and commerce, medical sciences, and technology.

Research Council

USJ's Research Council was established in 2016 to facilitate high-quality research. The council has 18 research centres to facilitate research projects about pressing issues in Sri Lanka. Research awards and editing, foreign travel and publishing-cost schemes have been implemented to encourage research by the university.

Physical Education Division

The Physical Education Division, established in 1968, has facilities for 38 sports. Facilities include an outdoor volleyball court, basketball courts, tennis courts, a swimming pool complex, and a cricket ground.

Centre for IT Services

The centre manages the campus IT infrastructure.