Tanya Selvaratnam was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1971, and was raised in Long Beach, California. She attended high school at Phillips Academy Andover. She received her B.A. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations and her M.A. in Regional Studies - East Asia from Harvard University. Her master's thesis on the interplay of law and practice with regard to women's rights in China was published in the Journal of Law and Politics.