CAO sees 30% rise in mature applicants
A 30% rise in the number of mature student applicants to the CAO means Leaving Cert students will find it harder this year to get the course they want when the second round offers come out tomorrow.
A total of 73,982 people applied through the CAO for a third-level course this year — around 5,000 more than last year, 3,000 of which were mature students.
In 2008, 9,349 mature students applied for a course — that number increased this year to 12,291.
The rise in the number of mature students applying for a course means Leaving Cert students will find it even more difficult to get offered a course high up their list of preferences.
In total, 42,917 applicants have already accepted first-round offers — more than the total number of acceptances last year.
Figures from the Higher Education Authority also show that the children of the higher professional classes are dominating participation in courses in medicine, law, veterinary and pharmacy.
Meanwhile, the advice for students from the CAO, however, is not to panic, even if they do not get offered a course tomorrow.
A spokeswoman said students could consider doing one of more than 150 courses with vacant places, but only if they have an interest in those courses.
These include Commerce (International) with Chinese Studies in UCC and, in CIT, Chemical and Biopharmaceutical Engineering, Software Development and Computer Networking, Common Science, Common Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Quantity Surveying.
For a full list of available courses, see www.cao.ie.
