Nearly half of honours degree applicants miss out on first preference in initial CAO offers

Each of the seven universities represented by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) have all increased the number of places available to first-year students to a record level across all programs.

Close to half (48%) of students applying for honours degrees have missed out on their first preference course as the first round of college places are offered to students this afternoon.

However, these figures are closely aligned to 2019 when 47% missed out on their first choice in this round.

This year, 80% of students applying to study such degrees have received an offer of their first, second or third choice courses.

The CAO has issued almost 79,000 round one offers to 53,815 CAO applicants this Friday, consisting of more than 47,000 Level 8 course offers, and almost 31,800 Level 7/6 course offers.

Health courses across the board have seen a significant surge in demand.

More than 24,500 CAO applicants this year have not yet received an offer of a third-level place, figures from the CAO show.

The best of luck to all who are awaiting today's CAO first round offers.@UCC_PeerSupport will be taking over our Instagram stories from 1pm to 2pm today to share advice on navigating college life & talk you through the services and supports they offer.https://t.co/Vg5EZFMkS4

— UCC Ireland (@UCC) September 11, 2020

 

When it comes to Level 7/6 degrees, 90% of students have received their first choice course this year.

In response to demand for places through this year’s CAO, the number of places available to first-year students have increased to record level across most programs.

An additional 2,225 places were created in recent weeks, with more than 60% of these allocated to university courses.

These extra places are in addition to an extra 4,100 places that had already been planned for the year.

Students are being asked to carefully consider any offers received this round, according to Eileen Keleghan, the CAO communications officer.

“One of the common queries that we receive at the offers stage is around order of preference.”

IUA welcomes additional university places announced by Minister @SimonHarrisTD and details of calculated grades announced by Minister @NormaFoleyTD1 https://t.co/OQC4fCkpHw @JimMiley @IUA_Academic @DeptofFHed

— Irish Universities Assoc. (@IUAofficial) September 1, 2020

 

“Applicants are reminded that if they receive a lower preference offer they can accept this offer and it will not prevent them from receiving an offer of a course higher up on their courses list in a later offer round if a place becomes available and they are deemed eligible.” 

“Those who have received an offer in this round should consider the current offer as being the only one they may receive.” Offers must be accepted by 3:00 pm on Wednesday September 16, and it is important for students to notify the CAO immediately if they notice any errors or omissions.

“They must make sure to do this well in advance of the next offer round to allow any corrections to be considered in subsequent offer rounds.” Students with queries over the weekend are asked to submit them to CAO or the relevant HEIs via the available online platforms.

 

All queries will be reviewed and dealt with when HEIs and CAO re-open on Monday.

The overall number of third level places has risen by an unprecedented 12% as compared with last year, according to the Irish Universities Association (IUA).

Each of the seven universities represented by the IUA have all increased the number of places available to first-year students to a record level across all programs.

At Trinity College Dublin (TCD) an additional 180 places have been created across high-demand courses, increasing capacity by 5%.

We've extended operating hours for our @TCDAcadRegistry Service Desk this weekend (11th Sept to 13th Sept) to provide support for students and parents after the publication of this year's #CAO results. https://t.co/SQHMxnVgIh #TCDFreshers pic.twitter.com/ssPLZMaMcD

— Trinity College Dublin (@tcddublin) September 11, 2020

 

“We’ve never had to do something like this before but it is a necessary response to an unprecedented challenge,” Professor Jürgen Barkhoff, Vice-Provost.

“We are now in the final stages of preparation and greatly look forward to welcoming our new and existing students to Trinity within the next few weeks.” 

An additional 190 offers were made to students at NUIG. Courses in nursing, health sciences, medicine and psychology all saw significant increases at the college, indicating a surge of interest due to the ongoing pandemic.

Arts programmes at NUIG also saw points increases, in particular for courses in music, film and digital media and drama and theatre courses.

Good luck to everyone getting #CAO Offers today!

The #NUIGalway First Year Helpline opens TODAY until Weds 14th Oct (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm)
Call them on 091 493 999 ☎️

More first year advice is available here ⬇️https://t.co/J8t2t1jPYM#GotNUIG #LeavingCert

— Comhaltas na Mac Léinn, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe (@UniOfGalwaySU) September 11, 2020

 

The university believes this may be linked to Galway’s appointment as European Capital of Culture for 2020.

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, president of NUI Galway, said the university looks forward to welcoming first year students.

“While we know it will be a year with a difference and an unusual start to our students’ university journey, it remains an exciting journey where we will endeavour to provide a safe, meaningful on-campus experience for our students with a corresponding reliance on online provision.” 

Maynooth University saw strong demand for its new Biological and Geographical Sciences BSc, through which students study areas of climate change, ecosystems, landforms, and how human activity impacts our ecosystem locally and globally.

Incoming First Years!@MaynoothUni has released a guide with the expected on-campus time for First Semester.
Access it here: https://t.co/WD02G9u5Pf

— Maynooth Students' Union (MSU) (@maynoothsu) September 8, 2020

 

Professor Philip Nolan, president of Maynooth University, said: “We are conscious that this has been an especially difficult year for Leaving Cert students, many of whom are now embarking on a new and exciting journey through third-level education.” 

“We have worked hard to provide students with an engaging and safe education this coming year, with a stimulating blend of on-campus and on-line learning.”