The development of Sri Lanka’s higher education has gone through four stages: the initiation of the feudal kingdom,the establishment of the modern higher education system in the colonial period,the independent exploration in the later period of independ- ence and the diversified development in the 21st century. At present,the higher education in Sri Langka mainly faces three problems: The lack of institutions of higher learning,studying abroad has become a norm; Talent training is out of line with market demand,and the unemployment rate of college graduates is high; Private higher education institutions are poorly regulated and of uneven quality. The development trend of contemporary higher education in Sri Lanka is as follows: promoting the market - oriented reform by the state,en- larging the enrollment and promoting its popularization,taking technical education as the guide,constructing the innovation system of higher education.