‘Students should not worry about points spike’

STUDENTS should not be fearful of a significant rise in points for most college courses when offers are made by the Central Applications Office (CAO) on Monday, according to the head of the country’s guidance counsellors.

While demand across all colleges is up 4% on last year to a record 77,628, a similar rise in applications last year was offset by increased places at most third-level colleges and the Leaving Certificate points needed for most Level 8 degrees were unchanged or lower than in 2008.

“There have been some small increases on some courses despite the colleges crying out for funding.

“And there are fewer applicants for some courses that previously commanded high points, such as law, although there is increased interest in areas like science and technology,” said Institute of Guidance Counsellors president Eilís Coakley.

“Unfortunately there is a lot of fear out there about points going up. But I expect that, while there will be slight rises or falls in the points for some courses, there’s not going to be any major spike across the board,” she said.

This year’s record number of CAO applicants includes a 19% rise in mature students and almost 7,300 places, up from about 6,500 a year ago, have already been filled over the past month ahead of school-leavers who received their Leaving Certificate results on Wednesday.

The question of whether points rise or fall varies for every course, depending on a number of factors other than just the numbers who have applied. Equally important is the decision of colleges to increase or decrease places.

The CAO website will be open for applicants to check how they have fared from 6am on Monday, but anybody having difficulty with the site should not worry, as the system is expected to be extremely busy right through the morning.

In 2009, almost 11,000 offers were accepted online up to midday on the equivalent Monday, and all but around 5% of the 45,500 who took up a place through the CAO did so through its website.

For those still awaiting a course of their choice after Monday, the second round of places will be offered by the CAO on Thursday, September 2.

Students who want to appeal a Leaving Certificate grade from their results on Wednesday must let their school know by Tuesday evening if they want to view their exam script before submitting an appeal to the State Examinations Commission by Wednesday, September 8.

The deadline for applying for a higher education grant to your local council or Vocational Education Committee (VEC) is August 31.

And with a record number of applications expected, it is vital to get all the forms in with all the necessary documents as soon as possible to facilitate the quickest possible processing.