Todays headline in the Irish Independent on the eve of the Leaving Cert Exams
A RECORD number of applications for college places has hit hopes of a dramatic fall in entry points for major courses.
A total of 68,300 students are chasing about 40,000 places in the autumn, according to new figures from the Central Applications Office (CAO).
The figures were disclosed as more than 50,000 students prepare to sit their Leaving Certificate examinations on Wednesday.
The final total will represent an increase of 2,500 on last year and will sharpen competition for some high-points courses such as law, medicine and dentistry.
The numbers taking the Leaving are up by more than 1,000 on last year and most have applied to the CAO for college places.
Apart from more Leaving Cert applicants, there are also extra applications from adults this year. And more students are applying from Further Education colleges with Post Leaving Certificate qualifications. There is also a small rise in the number of overseas applicants.
But John McGinnity, assistant registrar with the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, said students should not be alarmed by the effect on points of the 2pc rise in Leaving Cert applicants.
"It's hard to predict," he said. "But the increase is a reminder to students not to take it for granted that points will be lower this year. They should put in the effort and do the best they can."
The CAO reports 67,810 applications to date and a further 500 or so are expected by the end of the 'offer season'.
These will come from existing college students who want to transfer to another college course and from new applicants for late vacancies which inevitably arise in hard-to-fill courses.
The CAO system has been operating since 1977 and the previous highest number of applicants was four years ago, when 66,222 people applied for places.
Older
Among this year's applicants is a high number of older adults, including people who have retired. Statistics obtained by the Irish Independent show that last year there were 265 full-time and 474 part-time students in our universities and teacher training colleges over 60 years of age -- up from 236 and 418 the previous year.
In the Institute of Technology sector, there were 84 full-time and 81 part-time students in the 60-plus age bracket. While many are in their 60s, there are groups of students in their 70s and even into their 80s taking courses at present.
The most popular subject choices tend to be history, fine arts, archaeology, religion and English. The Higher Education Authority said that there are 10,500 people aged 30 and over studying full-time in our higher education institutions. Many are returning to education to boost their career prospects.
- John Walshe Education Editor
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