College places for Leaving Cert appeal students

More than 50 people are being offered a college place for the first time this year as a result of upgraded Leaving Certificate results issued this week.

They are among 389 people notified by the Central Applications Office this morning (FRI) that a course for which they applied has now got a place for them.

All but 10 of those offers are to students whose Leaving Certificate points increased as a result of appeal outcomes from the State Examinations Commission on Wednesday. They include all 81 of those being offered a place on a level 6 or 7 college course, and 298 of the 308 offered a level 8 (honours bachelors degree).

This last round of CAO offers brings the number offered at least one course this year to 60,712, which is 1,006 more than in 2013. Up to Wednesday evening, just under 47,000 places had been accepted at colleges using CAO to fill courses, around 800 more than a year ago.

CAO general manager Joe O’Grady said some colleges may offer a place on the course next year if no places currently exist. This can sometimes arise on courses with strict limits on numbers due, for example, to lab space or pre-arranged clinical placements.

An applicant can also apply to the college to defer starting until next year, or they can ignore the offer and continue on a course they may already have started.

Last year, Leaving Certificate upgrades resulted in 332 places being made available, 251 on level 8 (honours bachelor) degrees, and 61 on level 6 and 7 courses. The corresponding figures in 2012 and 2011 were 324 and 335, respectively.