Students warned of problems with some UCAS college applications

IRISH students who applied for places in colleges in Britain and the North have been advised to check if their applications were affected by systems problems there.

More than 5,000 people in the Republic applied for courses to more than 300 third-level and further education institutions through the UCAS system up to mid-January.

Unlike the CAO, where most offers are not made until after Leaving Certificate results issue in August, UCAS-linked colleges make conditional offers to applicants around this time. These are based on a personal statement, a prediction of exam results and other information.

But problems with the transfer of information from UCAS to colleges is causing difficulties, guidance counsellors in Ireland have learned.

Frank Mulvihill, a member of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, said he was notified of the issue by a number of colleagues, particularly in border counties, where large numbers of students apply to study in the North.

“Students who might not have received conditional offers or want to check the status of their application should contact UCAS about any difficulties or obvious errors,” he said.

The number of applications affected, from a total of around 370,000 handled each year, was unknown but the UCAS spokesperson suggested the number was relatively small.

* UCAS customer services can be contacted at 00 44 870 1122211 or at [e-mail]