Tougher points race as more apply for places

THE points race for college places will be tougher this year as more Leaving Certificate students and a rising number of other applicants compete for entry. Almost 6,500 places have already been allocated by the Central Applications Office (CAO) ahead of the Round 1 offers to those who were awaiting today's results.

The 6,479 places already taken up since early July include those in nursing degree courses reserved for mature applicants aged 23 or over, and on programmes which have a quota of places for students applying with further education qualifications, and a small number of students who are taking up deferred places.

However, with 2,000 more Leaving Cert students than last year applying to the Central Applications Office (CAO), there could be a limited number of places on some courses – driving the points up particularly in the arts, social science, science and nursing disciplines. The CAO statistics show demand for these courses has risen among this year's 73,982 applicants.

For almost 10,300 people who have listed medicine on their CAO forms, including 2,823 who selected it as their top preference, the results today will be combined with their performance in an aptitude test held for the first time this year.

The test was an effort to make the limited places more accessible for students who do not have the 550 or more Leaving Certificate points out of maximum 600 which has been needed for entry to most medical schools in recent years.

Any student who sat the exam in February and who scores 480 points or more today will have their combined scores ranked to choose almost 400 undergraduates to begin medical degrees at four universities and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

State Examinations Commission (SEC) figures show slightly fewer students than last year getting one or more higher level A1s, with one candidate due to find out this morning that he or she has got nine A1s.

A further 11 students have been awarded eight A1s, among 657 students with four or more higher level A1s compared with 828 students with the same last year.

These are vaguely indicative of a drop in overall performance, which might mean CAO points requirements dropping, but they might also be balanced by higher proportions of other high grades for which statistics were not available last night.

The CAO will make Round 1 offers next Monday and applicants will be able to check if they have been an offered places from 6am on its website (www.cao.ie). The full list of cut-off points for all courses offered through the CAO will be published in the Choices for College supplement on Monday.