 Although Kingswood was a Methodist missionary school, the student body contained Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Burghers, Eurasians and a mix of Ceylonese identity groups such as Malays, Chettis and Moors.A strong trans-national admission was seen in the years leading to Independence.Methodist students did have some advantage when it came to the award of scholarships, but the special scholarships were awarded on merit and were open to all.