Cadet Officer Salary in Sri Lanka 2026

Two routes to a commission: SLMA and KDU

Most army officers start as officer cadets. You can get there two ways, and the pay during training is not the same.

The Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA), Diyatalawa runs a two year and nine month course of six semesters. It leads to a BSc in Military Studies awarded by Kotelawala Defence University, and cadets are commissioned as Second Lieutenants at the end.

Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) takes cadets for full degree programmes in fields such as engineering, medicine, law, computing and management, with military training built in. Intake 44 for 2026/27 closed on 31 May 2026. KDU graduates are commissioned into the Army, Navy or Air Force.

What do officer cadets get paid during training?

The KDU figure is described as including rations and allowances, so it is a total, not a basic salary. We would treat it as approximate until you see it in your own offer letter. On top of the cash, cadets on both routes do not pay for food, lodging or uniforms while training.

What is the second lieutenant salary in Sri Lanka?

This is the gap most people searching "2nd lieutenant salary" run into. The Army's July 2026 notice lists pay from Lieutenant upwards and leaves Second Lieutenant out. We have not found an official Second Lieutenant figure anywhere.

What we do know: the 2025 revision raised Second Lieutenant basic pay by Rs. 19,725 a month for cadet entrants and Rs. 23,025 for non-cadet entrants. The nearest published junior officer totals are the navy Acting Sub Lieutenant at Rs. 122,903 and the army Lieutenant at Rs. 137,447.

Our estimate is roughly Rs. 123,000 to Rs. 137,000 a month for a Second Lieutenant. It is an editorial estimate, bounded by those two published figures. Ask for the exact figure at your commissioning interview, and expect a clear jump when you are promoted to Lieutenant.

Sri Lanka Army officer ranks salary list 2026

Gross monthly pay comes from the Army's July 2026 notice under the Army Pay Code (Management Services Circular 5/2025). Annual figures are twelve times the monthly gross. The last column is the 2025 increase in basic pay.

The notice was written for professional officers, who can also claim qualification allowances, so a regular officer's payslip may differ a little. Our army officer salary page sets these figures against police and civil service pay, and the army commando salary page covers soldiers and NCOs.

How much does a Brigadier earn in the Sri Lanka Army?

A Brigadier receives Rs. 201,980.30 a month gross, about Rs. 2.42 million a year. That is Rs. 12,424 more than a Colonel and Rs. 12,129 less than a Major General. The 2025 revision added Rs. 62,555 to a Brigadier's basic pay, one of the larger increases in the table.

At this level APIT applies, because gross pay is well above Rs. 150,000 a month; how much depends on which allowances are taxable. Senior ranks also have entitlements, such as official transport, that are not in the gross figure. The navy and air force equivalents are Commodore and Air Commodore; see our navy officer salary and Sri Lanka Air Force salary guides.

How do you become an army officer cadet?

1. Choose SLMA or KDU. Apply to the Sri Lanka Military Academy for a two year nine month military degree, or to Kotelawala Defence University for a full degree with military training. Both lead to a commission.
2. Check age and status. Both routes take unmarried Sri Lankan citizens aged 18 to 22. KDU measured age on 31 December 2025 for its 2026/27 intake.
3. Meet the education rules. SLMA: six O/L passes at one sitting with four credits including English, and three A/L passes at one sitting with 30% in the Common General Test. KDU: 2024 or 2025 A/L, at least 30 in the General Test and a credit in O/L English.
4. Meet the physical standard. Men need a height of 5 feet 6 inches and a 32-inch chest; women 5 feet 2 inches for the Military Academy. Medical and fitness tests follow.
5. Pass selection and sign the bond. Shortlisted applicants face interviews, fitness tests, a medical and security clearance, then sign a service agreement before training starts.

Graduates who missed the cadet age limit still have a way in. The Army Volunteer Force's 2026 notice took professional officers as Lieutenants up to age 30, Captains up to 32 and Lieutenant Colonels up to 45, depending on qualifications. If you are comparing uniformed careers more widely, look at the police SI and ASP salary and the Sri Lanka Army salary overview.

Our take: the cadet years are the cheap part, the bond is the real cost

For an 18-year-old, a cadetship is one of the few ways to get a free degree and a guaranteed job paying over Rs. 130,000 a month by the early twenties. On pay alone, it beats almost every civilian graduate entry post on the government salary scale.

The cost is time. You sign a bond, you can be posted anywhere in the country, and leaving early can mean refunding training costs. Read the bond clause before you accept.

If you want a professional degree, such as engineering or medicine, we would look at KDU first. If you want to be a field officer as fast as possible, the Military Academy is the shorter road.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Enlistment of Other Professional Officers 2026 - Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (gross pay by rank, Army Pay Code)
2. Officer Cadet Courses - Sri Lanka Military Academy
3. Salary increment structure for tri-forces personnel announced - Ada Derana, 3 September 2024
4. KDU Undergraduate Cadetships 2026/2027 - TeachMore (summary of the Intake 44 notice)
5. KDU Cadet Officer Intake 2026/27 - Courses.lk (summary of the Intake 44 notice)
6. Sri Lanka Navy officer vacancies 2026 - Gazette, 11 September 2026 (Acting Sub Lieutenant pay, refund of training costs)