Brexit fuels big demand for college places here
BREXIT has fuelled the huge leap in demand for college places this year and is likely to contribute to driving up the points for some courses.
Almost half the extra 6,268 CAO applications are from students outside the Republic of Ireland.
Applications on February 1 stood at a record 79,303 – up almost 9pc on the same date the previous year – and late entries will bring that figure up further.
The February figure includes an extra 2,600 non-Irish, non-UK applicants – from both EU and non-EU countries – who, it is thought, would previously have gone to the UK.
On top of that, there are an additional 300 applications from UK students, including from Northern Ireland.
There is also an increase of 1,500 in mature student applications, which may reflect a desire among many for a post-pandemic career switch.
The surge in demand sharpens competition to unprecedented levels, which will have consequences for points.
BREXIT has fuelled the huge leap in demand for college places this year, and is likely to contribute to driving up the points for some courses.
Almost half the extra 6,268 CAO applications are from students living outside the Republic.
Applications on February 1 stood at a record 79,303 – up almost 9pc on the same day last year – and late entries will bring that figure up further.
The February figure includes an extra 2,600 non-Irish, non-UK applicants – from both EU and non-EU countries – who, it is thought, would previously have gone to the UK.
On top of that, there are an additional 300 applications from UK students, including from Northern Ireland.
There is also an increase of 1,500 in mature student applications, which may reflect a desire among many for a post-pandemic career switch.
Combined with the twintrack Leaving Cert – which allows students to opt for both traditional exams and accredited grades and to use the best results – the surge in demand sharpens competition to unprecedented levels, which will have consequences for points. Colleges also have to accommodate up to 600 Leaving Cert 2020 candidates who received a deferred offer for September 2021 after sitting the postponed exams in November.
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has promised to create extra places, as happened to adjust for the grade inflation associated with calculated grades, the 2020 version of accredited grades.
The Department of Further and Higher Education has set up a working group, including bodies such as the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) to consider how to accommodate the record demand.
While CAO applications from outside Ireland will add to pressures on the system, the Government will welcome the boost it gives to efforts to grow as a destination for international students.
A new strategy to attract international students, in the post-Covid world, is among the commitments in a threeyear plan for the Department of Further and Higher Education, being launched by Mr Harris today.
It covers area ranging from CAO reform – including the creation of a single platform for application for entry to college, further education, apprenticeships and training – to governance legislation for higher education and dealing with sexual harassment.
Ahead of the launch, Mr Harris commented on the prospects for growing international student numbers arising from Brexit, with Ireland now the only major English-speaking country in the EU. He said: “This will open up new opportunities to increase our share of students wishing to study in the EU.
“There will also be significant potential new opportunities to expand research collaborations and incomes and to attract increased international researchers.
“We can already see some sign of this with an increase in EU and non-EU applications to the CAO.
“Brexit has posed many difficulties for this country but it can create opportunities too and the new strategy will look at how we can develop those.”