High first round take-up limits degree course offers

JUST under 500 students are being offered the chance of a third-level place on a degree course this morning by the Central Applications Office.

A high take-up of first- round offers, more than 70%, significantly reduced chances for second-round degree course hopefuls.

However, more than 1,600 people are being offered a college place for the first time.

Following first-round offers, there was a particularly poor 32% acceptance in diploma and certificate courses.

Vacancies still exist in about 175 of the 300-plus diploma and certificate courses.

Point requirements have not dropped significantly in the second-round offers although some students who achieved 560 points will be offered dentistry at University College Cork compared to the first round demand of 565.

Law in Trinity College Dublin fell five points to 540 in the second-round offers, while requirements for law and German at TCD dropped from 535, in the first round, to 510 this morning.

The second-round offers showed that the highly sought-after nursing degree places have been filled.

Guidance experts are today urging former Leaving Cert students not to despair.

The high level of vacancies after the first round overall strongly point to the possibility of more offers in later rounds of the CAO process.

The CAO said some degree course offers have been freed up by students deciding to repeat or to study abroad.

Statistics suggest that a slightly higher number of Irish students have this year opted for British colleges.

After the first round, the total gross acceptance in all courses was 36,532 out of 50,211 places offered.

More than 1,000 places in degree courses are still available in the second round after a total gross acceptance of 24,304 after round one.

In the diploma and certificate courses, just 12,228 offers were accepted out of a total of 27,613.

For those who have not received an offer, there is still the prospect of a third-round place. Overall, thousands of places are still available on PLC courses, in apprenticeships and traineeships through FÁS.