Tamil is a Dravidian language, which is predominantly spoken by the Tamil people of India and Sri Lanka. It declared an official language in three countries, namely, India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore, and a classical language in India. It is estimated that there are over seventy-five Tamil native speakers throughout the world.

The Diploma in Tamil has been introduced by the Department of Linguistics of the University of Kelaniya with the purposes of providing the communication competence and the cultural understanding related to the Tamil language, by means of which harmonious existence can be promoted between the different ethnic groups of the country.

This is a one-year fee levying course. The lectures are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays and the students can attend lectures on either day, which is decided by their preference and/or the schedule prepared by the university.