Free guide · the 2026 A/L batch
Z-score 2026
When your Z-score comes, which cut-offs are yours, and what last year's numbers can and cannot tell you. From the UGC's own tables.
The short answer
- Your Z-score is printed on your results sheet. The 2026 A/L results are due before the end of 2026. Results day, step by step.
- Your cut-offs are the 2026/2027 table. It is expected around mid-2027, after applications and selection.
- Until then, the best guide is the newest published table, 2025/2026: cut-offs for every course.
2026 A/L ලිව්වා නම්: ඔයාගේ Z-score එක results sheet එකේ එනවා — results 2026 අවුරුද්ද ඉවර වෙන්න කලින් දෙනවා කියලා තියෙනවා. ඔයාගේ intake එකේ (2026/2027) cut-offs එන්නේ 2027 මැද විතර. ඒ වෙනකන් බලන්න තියෙන හොඳම guide එක 2025/2026 cut-offs.
Which table is “the 2026 cut-off”?
Two different tables both get called that. A cut-off table is named after the academic year it admits to, which starts the year after the exam.
| Exam | Admits to | Cut-offs |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 A/L | 2025/2026 | Published |
| 2026 A/L — you | 2026/2027 | Expected around mid-2027 |
Will the cut-offs go up?
Nobody knows until the UGC publishes them. What the tables can tell you is how much a cut-off usually moves in one year. Across all 4,242 course, university and district cut-offs published in both the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 rounds:
72%
28% went down
0.07
Median change, up or down
34%
14% moved over 0.2
So last round's number is a guide, not a promise. If your Z-score is within about 0.1 of a course's cut-off in your district, that course could go either way. If it is well above, it is a strong choice; well below, list it only if you would truly take it.
A single course moves for its own reasons — new places, a new university, how many students put it first. Campus Match reads eight rounds of these tables for your district and estimates your chance at every course for the coming round. See Campus Match.
Got your Z-score? See what it reaches
Every course your stream can apply for, against the 2025/2026 cut-off in your district. Free, no sign-in. Bookmark this page for results day.
The lowest Z-score that won a place, by district
For each stream, the lowest 2025/2026 cut-off of any course that stream may apply for, in each district. Courses that also need an aptitude or practical test are left out, because the test does the selecting there. This is a floor, not a target: the course with the lowest cut-off is rarely the one you want.
Many courses also ask for particular subjects or grades — Arabic Language needs Arabic, Translation Studies a C in Sinhala or Tamil — so the course shown may not be open to you. Tap it to see who can apply. The same number in many districts means the course was filled on island-wide merit.
Arts stream25 districts
| District | Lowest | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Colombo | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Gampaha | 0.1423 | Translation Studies |
| Kalutara | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Matale | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Kandy | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Nuwara Eliya | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Galle | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Matara | 0.1915 | Translation Studies |
| Hambantota | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Jaffna | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Kilinochchi | 0.5377 | Marine and Freshwater Sciences |
| Mannar | 0.4680 | Mineral Resources and Technology |
| Mullaitivu | 0.4339 | Plantation Management and Technology |
| Vavuniya | 0.5406 | Plantation Management and Technology |
| Batticaloa | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Ampara | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Trincomalee | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Kurunegala | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Puttalam | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Anuradhapura | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Polonnaruwa | 0.5149 | Translation Studies |
| Badulla | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Monaragala | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Ratnapura | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
| Kegalle | 0.6095 | Arabic Language |
Commerce stream25 districts
Biological Science stream25 districts
Physical Science stream25 districts
Engineering Technology stream25 districts
Biosystems Technology stream25 districts
Information & Communication Technology stream25 districts
To be selected for any course you also need at least an S in all three subjects in one sitting, within three attempts, and at least 30% in the Common General Test (UGC admission notice). Check the 2026/2027 notice when it is published.
What happens next for the 2026 batch
Checked on 9 October 2026.
2026 A/L examination
Confirmed10 August to 5 September 2026
Marking began on 3 September.
Source: Ada Derana
2026 A/L results
ExpectedBefore the end of 2026, most likely December
The Commissioner General of Examinations has said results will be out before year-end — about three months earlier than last time (31 March 2026), because the exam itself moved back to August. Your Z-score is printed on the results sheet.
Source: Hiru News
UGC handbook and online application (2026/2027 intake)
ExpectedExpected January 2027, about four weeks after results
Last time applications opened four weeks after results and stayed open for three weeks. The UGC confirms the dates. Have your course list ready before it opens, not during.
Z-score cut-offs and selection
ExpectedExpected around mid-2027, several months after applications close
Selection is by Z-score, district and the order of your preferences. Aptitude-test courses have their own dates in the handbook.
Questions about the 2026 Z-score
When will the 2026 Z-scores be released?
Your Z-score is printed on your results sheet, so it arrives with the 2026 A/L results. The Commissioner General of Examinations has said those will be released before the end of 2026.
When will the cut-offs for the 2026 A/L batch be published?
The 2026 batch is admitted to the 2026/2027 academic year. Its cut-offs come after the UGC application window and selection, expected around mid-2027. The newest table published today is 2025/2026, from the 2025 exam.
Will the cut-offs go up this year?
Nobody can know before they are published. Between the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 rounds, 72% of course and district cut-offs rose and 28% fell; the typical move was about 0.07, and 14% moved by more than 0.2. Treat last round's number as a guide, not a promise.
What is the minimum Z-score to enter a state university?
There is no single minimum: every course has its own cut-off in every district. In the 2025/2026 round the lowest cut-off for a course without an aptitude test was -0.3476 (Urban Informatics and Planning, Monaragala). To be considered at all you also need at least an S in all three subjects in one sitting, within three attempts, and at least 30% in the Common General Test.
Can I work out my 2026 Z-score from my marks?
Not before results. A subject's Z-score depends on that year's island-wide average and spread for the subject, which are not published in advance. Calculators that take raw marks are guessing those numbers.
Figures computed from the UGC's published minimum Z-score tables for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026. ICT Campus is not affiliated with the UGC or the Department of Examinations, and this page is not official advice. New to Z-scores? How the Z-score works.
More for the move to university
- 2026 A/L results — when, how to check, what next
- After A/L — what to do while you wait
- What is a Z-score? How it is calculated
- Z-score cut-offs for every course
- UGC application guide — dates and course order
- Free checker — last round's cut-offs in your district
- Campus Match — your chance at every course
- Free first-year guides — email, APA, AI rules
- Campus Ready for parents
- Campus Survival Pack — templates and guides