While the JVP charged that students in the Eastern Province who qualified to enter universities have been confined only to the Eastern University, the University Grants Commission denied the allegation stating that those who obtained top marks can apply for a university of their choice.

JVP Western Provincial Councillor and Central Committee member Duminda Nagamuwa said this restriction imposed by the UGC has compelled qualified students to confine themselves to the Eastern University. He also cited students qualified for medical and management streams refraining from stating their choice due to this compulsion.

UGC Chairman Professor Gamini Samaranayake dismissed the allegation. "In the three districts in the East, none from Ampara qualified to enter the medical stream by securing a place among the first 10 per cent according to merit. Among those qualified to enter medical colleges, irrespective of the provinces, the first 10 per cent, according to the order of merit, is given the option to seek entry to medical colleges of their choice while the rest have to enter the medical colleges they are posted to by the UGC. A total 1165 are selected annually from all provinces to medical colleges. In the Eastern Province except for three, two from Batticaloa and one from Trincomalee, none qualified among the first 10 per cent in order of merit. Those three were allowed their choice while the rest were confined to the Eastern University. This same rule applies to students qualified in other disciplines, too," Professor Samaranayake explained.

In response to Nawagamuwa’s demand that the UGC should admit 200 students to Colombo and Peradeniya and another 160 to Ruhuna, which he claimed were popular medical faculties, Professor Samaranayake said that entry was only through marks scored and not by the students’ choice.