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The General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy was formally opened in 1981 to enable young officers to gain higher academic qualifications.

In 1988 the institution was elevated to university status, and now has nine academic faculties offering over 34 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees: defence and strategic studies; medicine; engineering; law; management, social sciences and humanities; allied health sciences; built environment and spatial sciences; and computing.

Students of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University have access to a range of sports and recreational facilities. Clubs include rotaract, national rover crew, toastmasters, eco club and music clubs. In addition, students are encouraged to undertake industrial visits, industry interaction and regularly scheduled guest speakers.

Officer cadets at the university undergo military training alongside their academic studies. Their time at KDU includes weapon training and live firing, knowledge enrichment, team research and outdoor activities.