Calls to revamp college points system
The points for almost half of all level 8 degrees are up and are unchanged for another one-in-five, despite a 2% drop in overall college applicants and slightly more places being offered by colleges at this stage of the Central Applications Office (CAO) process.
The degrees requiring more points include nearly three-quarters at NUI Galway and more than 60% of degrees at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University of Limerick, University College Cork and Dublin City University.
After record numbers of students gained high CAO points in last week’s exam results, points for entry to more than 280 out of 800 level 8 degrees are 10 higher than last year, including 177 courses in which the rise is at least 20 points.
The figures emerge after Education Minister Ruairí Quinn recently backed calls for a fairer way of assessing students for college entry other than just the final Leaving Certificate exams.
But the likely timeframe for such reforms means the first students to benefit from a less-pressurised points race have not yet even started second-level education.
A range of alternatives to the current points system is already being discussed by third-level bosses and a conference organised by the Higher Education Authority and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment next month will begin a wider public consultation on the issue.
But Trinity provost Dr Patrick Prendergast said last night that the success rates of students in its access programmes for mature students, those with disabilities and from poorer backgrounds clearly show that change is needed.
“This data suggests the need to revisit the process of admitting students [by instead] using contextual data alongside purely points-based admissions,” he said.
While other assessment methods are strongly favoured by many, there may be controversy over points rises again for the five medical schools, for which applicants counted their scores in an aptitude test earlier this year along with exam results. It is also harder than last year to get into most courses for physiotherapy, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, all requiring at least 535 to 560 out of a maximum 600 Leaving Certificate points.
The CAO figures show this year’s 76,238 college applicants are more conscious than ever about choosing careers with stronger employment opportunities, as demand has driven up points for courses in areas like biotechnology, nursing, computer engineering and gaming technology.
The 450 courses — out of 1,250 filled by the CAO — with lower points than last year include most law, teaching and construction-linked engineering degrees, and two-thirds of courses at Cork Institute of Technology and Dublin Institute of Technology.
