Sri Lanka's leading educational establishment, Gateway, will join hands with the University of Canterbury, New Zealand's prestigious university that is ranked among the top 200 in the world to provide structured pathways for students to begin their undergraduate Degrees in Sri Lanka and graduate in New Zealand. Gateway is to unveil their brand new facilities in Colombo and Negombo on Wednesday,f September 7, in a bid to open up vistas for Sri Lankan youths to graduate in New Zealand - the newest global destination for higher education. The new Study Centre in Colombo will be ceremonially opened by the Minister of Higher Education S.B.Dissanayake.

Having strengthened their position in the Primary and Secondary sectors, Gateway has opened new horizons in tertiary education through its Graduate School that has links with reputed international universities in the UK and Australia. With the new partnership, Gateway's main focus in the future will be the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. The programmes expected to commence in February 2012 include BE (Hons) Engineering (Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer, Civil, Natural Resources, Forest and Chemical & Process Engineering), BSc Science majors (Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science), Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting, Economics, Finance, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, International Business, Management, Management Science and Operation Management, Marketing, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Taxation & Accounting) and B Sc/BA in Psychology.

To make the Sri Lankan student community aware of this new opportunity, a press conference and several Open Days have been organized in the coming week. The open day in Negombo will take place on Wednesday, September 7 at 10.30 am at Gateway College, Negombo (for further details contact Niluka on 031- 2227772). This will be followed by the open day in Kandy on Thursday, September 8 at 4.00 pm at Gateway College, Kandy (for further details contact Thusitha on 0777- 922777). The open day in Colombo will be at the Galle Face Hotel on Friday September 9 at 4.00 pm (for further details contact Chameera on 0772- 256356). Students and parents will have the opportunity to speak to the visiting team of Pro-Vice Chancellors and the Deans of University of Canterbury as well as the representatives of the Gateway Graduate School to discuss the advantages of studying at Gateway Graduate School and transferring to the University of Canterbury.

The University of Canterbury, established in 1873 by scholars of Oxford and Cambridge, has gained an international reputation for academic excellence in teaching and research. Its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are well recognised worldwide, and aim to foster intellectual independence, critical thinking, and professional excellence in every field.

The tuition and accommodation costs at UC are approximately 35% less than in universities in Australia and the United Kingdom. International students are provided with opportunities to gain work experience and supplement their funds while studying. The students also have the possibility of working in New Zealand after they have completed their studies. Once you have finished your studies in NZ, and obtained a NZ qualification, you may be eligible for a Graduate Job Search Visa that is designed to assist eligible graduates in finding work in New Zealand.