1,000 college places to be held for less well-off

ABOUT 1,000 college places a year are to be reserved for less well-off students who will have points added to their Leaving Certificate results when competing with other applicants.

The scheme being operated by the seven universities, all teacher training colleges and Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), has previously been limited to students at about 300 schools.

But from November, anybody seeking a place in these colleges through the Central Applications Office (CAO) can apply to be included in the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) scheme.