Thousands of Irish studying in Britain

MORE than 2,500 Irish students are beginning courses at colleges in Britain and the North each year, official figures have revealed.

The numbers include hundreds of students from Border counties who take up courses in Northern Ireland colleges each year. But around two-thirds are students who have qualified after completing courses in Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) colleges or non-degree courses in the institutes of technology.

While there are opportunities to progress to hundreds of third-level courses with PLC qualifications and other further education awards through the Higher Education Links Scheme, some experts believe the number of such places should be significantly expanded.

Michael Moriarty, general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association, said many PLC colleges have also reached agreements with British institutions which will give their students an exemption from the first year of a degree course.

“Unfortunately, the same facility is not being provided by Irish institutes of technology or universities, so there is a clear advantage to students in going on to study in Britain,” he said.

Figures from Britain’s Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS), the equivalent of the Central Applications Office (CAO) here, show that more than 8,000 Irish people have taken up courses through their system in the past three years.

Much of this may be down to the high points requirements for most degree programmes run by Irish colleges.

While the larger number of courses in British colleges may also be a factor, recent developments may make it easier for Irish students to access British colleges.

UCAS decided last year to include the Leaving Cert in its centralised system for students seeking entry to British universities.

It has made a higher level Leaving Cert result equivalent to two-thirds of a British A-Level qualification in recognition of the high standard of the Irish exams.

While most students here sit at least six subjects, most of them at higher level, those in Britain or the North normally sit only three or four A-Levels.