Mahapola Scholarship Sri Lanka: Eligibility, Amount and Registration

The Mahapola scholarship is a monthly allowance paid to selected full-time internal university students in Sri Lanka, and the Education Minister told Parliament on 6 August 2026 that it is Rs. 10,000 a month, with a separate bursary of Rs. 9,000. This guide sets out who qualifies, what the Mahapola Trust Fund says about payments, attendance and cancellation, and the registration steps for the 2024/2025 batch, using the Fund’s own website (mahapola.lk), the Parliament statement and the 2026 Budget speech.

Mahapola Scholarship: Key Facts

How Much Is the Mahapola Allowance?

On 6 August 2026 the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, answered a question in Parliament. According to the Parliament of Sri Lanka news page, 91,495 students in state universities receive Mahapola scholarships or student bursaries: 60,380 receive Mahapola and 31,115 receive bursaries. Each eligible Mahapola student receives Rs. 10,000 a month, made up of Rs. 5,200 from the General Treasury and Rs. 4,800 from the Mahapola Trust Fund. The student bursary is Rs. 9,000 a month, funded entirely by the General Treasury. Students at the Buddhist and Pali University and the Bhiksu University receive Rs. 7,500 under Mahapola and Rs. 9,000 as a bursary. Students under the Nipunatha Sisu Saviya bursary at the University of Vocational Technology and the Ocean University receive Rs. 7,500 with at least 90% attendance of the prescribed monthly study hours, or Rs. 6,500 with 75% to 89% attendance, and nothing below 75%.

The 2026 Budget speech earlier said the monthly Mahapola allowance would be increased to Rs. 10,000 and the bursary allowance to Rs. 9,000. It describes this as a Rs. 2,500 rise to keep pace with living costs, following an earlier rise of Rs. 2,500 in the first Budget. Press reports in March 2026, quoting the Fund’s chairman, said the Rs. 10,000 rate was being credited from 10 March 2026 for January. Those are press reports. The Parliament statement is the official confirmation, but confirm the rate that applies to you with the Fund or your university.

The Fund’s own payment criteria page does not list an amount, so the figures above come from the Parliament statement and the Budget speech.

Who Is Eligible?

The Fund’s eligibility page sets these conditions:

• You must be a citizen of Sri Lanka.
• You must be registered as an internal student for a full-time course at a university, or at an institute affiliated with a university.
• Parental income must be equal to or less than Rs. 500,000 per year, a ceiling the page applies from the 2017/2018 academic year.
• If your parents are separated and there is no documentary evidence or legal action confirming it, the income ceiling is decided after reports from the Grama Niladhari and the Police of your division.
• If you are employed, your own employment income is added to your parents’ income.
• If you are employed and married, you and your spouse are treated as a separate family, and eligibility is assessed under the same income ceiling rules.

The page describes the merit scholarship as 10% of awards for students with exceptional A/L results, and the ordinary scholarship as 90% of awards, based on A/L performance and family income.

How Payments Work

The Fund’s payment criteria page states these rules:

• Instalments are paid monthly on the recommendation of your university, which reflects your progress. If you are not recommended, ask your university.
• University scholarships are limited to a maximum of 10 instalments per academic year, and only one instalment is paid per month.
• You must keep 80% attendance at lectures, tutorials and practicals. If attendance falls short, payments are suspended on the university’s recommendation.
• Payments stop if you take up a business, service or employment to earn income.
• You cannot hold another scholarship or bursary at the same time. If you qualify for another one, you must choose one and tell the Fund office immediately.
• If your course changes and you qualify under the new course, a new scholarship may be awarded on the university’s recommendation and UGC guidance.
• The Trust Fund’s decisions on scholarships and instalments are final.

Registration for the 2024/2025 Batch

The Fund’s notices for students selected in the 2024/2025 batch describe these steps:

1. Log in to the Fund’s online registration portal with your NIC number (the Fund’s website links to it from its notices).
2. Complete the online registration and enter your bank details.
3. Print the application and sign it.
4. Hand the signed application to your university with a copy of your bank passbook or a bank account confirmation.

The notices also say payments go only to an individual account at Bank of Ceylon or People’s Bank, you should keep a valid mobile number and email address active for the whole scholarship period, and bank details should not be changed after registration. The Fund published a list of students who had not registered (14 September 2026) and a list of students whose bank details were rejected, with the reason for each (16 September 2026). Check your NIC against these lists on mahapola.lk.

For students whose bank details were rejected, the notice says to correct them in the portal and resubmit, then give the signed application and passbook copy to the university, all on or before 20 September 2026.

What the Fund Does Not State

• The monthly amount on its own payment criteria page. We took the figures from the Parliament statement and the Budget speech.
• The eligibility conditions for the Rs. 9,000 bursary and how to apply for it. The Parliament statement gives the amount and funding but no conditions, and the Mahapola pages we read cover the Mahapola scholarship only. Some universities also publish their own bursary schemes, so ask your student welfare office.
• A separate application for new students. The selection procedure and appeal procedure pages on the Fund’s site had no readable text when we checked, so we cannot describe how selection is notified or how appeals work. Contact the Fund for these.
• Whether late registration is still possible for the 2024/2025 batch after 20 September 2026.
• Whether the Rs. 500,000 parental income ceiling, published from 2017/2018, has been revised since. The page we read still shows that figure.

FAQ

How much is the Mahapola allowance in 2026?

The Education Minister told Parliament on 6 August 2026 that the monthly Mahapola allowance is Rs. 10,000 and the student bursary is Rs. 9,000, and the 2026 Budget speech set the same figures. Confirm the rate that applies to you with the Fund or your university.

Who can get the Mahapola scholarship?

Sri Lankan citizens registered as internal students in a full-time course at a university or a university-affiliated institute, whose parental income is Rs. 500,000 a year or less according to the Fund’s eligibility page.

Can I get Mahapola and another scholarship together?

No. The Fund says you cannot receive another scholarship or bursary for the same or a different course. If you qualify for another, you must choose one and inform the Fund office immediately.

Do I have to attend lectures to keep it?

Yes. The Fund requires 80% attendance, and payments can be suspended on your university’s recommendation if you fall short.

Can I use a joint bank account?

No. The Fund’s registration notice says payments are made only to individual accounts at Bank of Ceylon or People’s Bank.

Who do I contact?

Call 011 268 5011 or the hotline 078 180 0888 (office hours only), or email mahapola@mahapola.lk. The office is on the 8th Floor, CWE Secretariat Building, 27 Vauxhall Street, Colombo 02.

Official Sources

• Mahapola Trust Fund official website (eligibility, payment criteria and notices)
• Parliament of Sri Lanka: 91,495 students receive Mahapola and student bursaries (6 August 2026)
• Full Budget Speech 2026, Government Information Department

Based on the Mahapola Trust Fund website, the Parliament of Sri Lanka statement of 6 August 2026 and the Budget 2026 speech as checked on 17 October 2026. BrightNook.lk is not the Fund. Confirm details with the Trust Fund or your university before acting.