Pressure for college places increases

Slight increases in the points needed for hundreds of college courses are likely on Monday.
Figures from the Central Applications Office — which is finalising around 50,000 offers with colleges this weekend — show that 11,345, or 21% got 450 points or more, before adding the 25 higher level maths bonus points of almost 14,000. This compares to 20.4% last year
The number with 500 points or more has also risen, from 4,965 (9.4% of all who got results) to 5,250 (9.7%).
However, those with at least 550 CAO points fell by just three to 1,562, or 2.9%, compared to 3% in 2013.
With the numbers with bonus points for maths representing another increase on last year — when more than 12,500 did so — many high-points courses could see requirements rise. However, it may be the students who applied for such courses, but did not sit higher level maths exams, who are most disadvantaged.
The number of applicants for each individual course, as well as those students’ Leaving Certificate results, help determine the cut-off points.
However, any changes to the number of places on a college programme also have an effect. So there can be no certainty about a likely rise or fall for any one of the 1,300-plus courses until CAO publishes the points requirements when it offers places to an estimated 50,000 people at 6am on Monday.
The first-preference applications to degrees categorised as arts, science and nursing have fallen since last year, but they have risen for business, engineering, and teaching.