Demand for engineering and technology degrees grows

College applicants are opting in greater numbers for engineering and technology degrees but science courses are waning in popularity, latest figures show.

The Central Applications Office (CAO) has received lists of preferred honours bachelor (level 8) degree choices from 70,006 Leaving Certificate candidates, mature students, and others for the coming academic year — 4% more than this time last year.

Arts and business remain the most popular categories, accounting for the first preferences of 28,600 applicants, or 41% of the total just like in 2014. But engineering and technology are the top choice of 7,741 level 8 applicants, almost 1,000 more than a year ago, and up from less than 10% of the 2014 total to 11%.