CAO sees 30% rise in mature applicants

A 30% rise in the number of mature student applicants to the CAO means Leaving Cert students will find it harder this year to get the course they want when the second round offers come out tomorrow.

A total of 73,982 people applied through the CAO for a third-level course this year — around 5,000 more than last year, 3,000 of which were mature students.