Expected upturn in mature student applications fails to materialise

THE number of people applying for college places has not risen significantly despite an expected upturn in mature students seeking to improve their qualifications.

The Central Applications Office (CAO) received 62,139 applications to its website by Sunday night’s deadline, up from 56,105 at the same time a year ago.

However, around 3,000 postal applications have been received bringing the total to 65,000, similar to the total number seeking entry in 2008.