ɪt wʌz ɪstˈæblɪʃt baɪ ɐ spˈɛʃəl pɹˌɛzɪdˈɛnʃəl dᵻkɹˈiː ˌɔn wˈʌn sɛptˈɛmbɚ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈeɪt æz ɹuːhˈuːnə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi kˈɑːlɪdʒ ænd ʌpɡɹˈeɪdᵻd tʊ ɐ fˈʊlflˈɛdʒd jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ˌɔn wˈʌn fˈɛbɹuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi fˈoːɹ baɪ ɐ jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ˈɔːɹdɚ.
It was established by a special presidential decree on 1 September 1978 as Ruhuna University College and upgraded to a full-fledged university on 1 February 1984 by a university order.