Fewer courses a boon for Maynooth

Maynooth University claims that having fewer entry courses for Leaving Certificate students is the reason for its increase in popularity this year.

A limited number of courses, rather than very specialised degrees at third-level, was proposed by experts in 2011 to ease the intensive ‘points-race’ for school-leavers, which has a major influence on teaching at second-level.

So far, most third-level colleges have done little to pursue the recommendation, although all seven universities committed, last year, to reducing by 2017 their choice of entry codes on Central Applications Office (CAO) forms.