Applications for third-level college courses are on track to reach a record high this year.
New figures released by the Central Applications Office (CAO) show there were a total of 83,447 applications at the close of its exceptional application deadline this week, up from 77,049 at a similar stage last year.
A breakdown of applications is not yet available but the increase is likely to reflect a combination of factors such as greater numbers of students of Leaving Cert age and, potentially, more applicants applying on the back of results achieved in recent years.
Leaving Cert results are due to drop on aggregate this year as part of an effort to return grades to more normal levels following several years of grade inflation. This will put applicants with results from recent years at an advantage compared to the class of 2025 in the race for points.
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The increase in applicant numbers this year may also place upward pressure on some high-demand CAO points courses.
The CAO’s normal closing date is February 1st at 5pm. However, an exceptional application facility was introduced this year for those affected by Storm Éowyn.
The previous high in CAO applications was recorded in 2021, when 79,303 applied by February 1st, rising to 84,878 by May 1st. This year’s numbers are on track to exceed this figure.
The number of applicants does not represent the total number of expected CAO applicants for 2025, as a late application facility opens on March 5th and closes on May 1st.
In most cases, applicants have until July 1st to finalise their college course choices, apart from a number of “restricted” courses which require portfolio work to be submitted earlier.
The Department of Further and Higher Education, meanwhile, has confirmed that no places will be offered through the CAO for new courses in pharmacy or veterinary medicine which were announced last year.
At the time, colleges indicated that some of these places could be available for the 2025/26 academic year.
However, the department said in a statement that the first cohort of students for new veterinary courses at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and southeast Technological University (Setu) will not now begin until September 2026.
“Applications for both courses are planned to open through the CAO in November 2025 with the first cohort of students commencing in September 2026, subject to meeting academic validation requirements and the regulatory requirements of the Veterinary Council. Both institutions are actively working towards this,” it said.
New programmes in pharmacy at University of Galway, ATU and Setu – announced last October – are also undergoing academic validation and regulatory approval. The department said a date of their first intake will be dependent on the conclusion of these processes.
New programmes in medicine announced at University of Galway and University of Limerick are expected to begin in 2026.
A planned expansion of existing medical programmes – as part of an agreement with the medical schools to deliver 200 additional places between 2022 and 2026 – will take place.
A new bachelor of dental surgery will begin at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in September 2025, as planned, with 20 places available for Irish/EU students. This course is open for application through the CAO.
“The department is actively working with [the] Department of Health to progress the expansion of places in priority healthcare areas,” said a spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the CAO says most applicants for college places this year who have already applied will have opportunities to change their course choices in May or June for no extra charge.
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