Change to points system

FROM small beginnings in 1977, when just 15,000 people applied to get onto 69 degrees, the Central Applications Office (CAO) handled more than 76,000 applications last year.

But the number of courses has rocketed to almost 1,300 in the intervening quarter of a century, which has been part of the problem of students competing to get top Leaving Certificate grades for the CAO points race.

Because colleges have increased the number of specialised courses at point of entry — rather than the traditional system of accepting students into general degree programmes and allowing them focus on specific area in second and subsequent years — the points for each course vary widely. And those with fewer available places are more likely to command higher Leaving Certificate points, creating the pressure for exam performance.