Cullain Burke’s delight with his Leaving Certificate results was short-lived.
The 424 points he achieved in 2023 were not enough to secure his dream course, software development at Munster Technological University (MTU), which had soared above 500 points.
“I was a little bit devastated to miss out,” he says. “It was upsetting. All my friends were going there. I had enough points for a business course, but I knew, really, it wasn’t something I’d be interested in.”
As he weighed up whether to complete a post-Leaving Cert course, Burke was told of a brand new option: tertiary degrees.
They are regular university bachelor’s degrees which begin in a further education college and finish up in a higher education institution. Entry is not based on CAO points and there are no tuition fees for the first one to two years.
As it happened, there was a new tertiary degree in software development, with the first two years at Cork College of Further Education and Training and the final two years at MTU.
“I thought, ‘there’s no way it’s real – it’s too good to be true’,” Burke recalls. “It’s far cheaper. It’s even closer to home. And it meant I’d have full access to all the facilities at MTU and could keep in contact with my friends.”
Tertiary degrees were announced in a blaze of publicity three years ago by then minister for higher education, Simon Harris.
They were, he said, a “game-changer” and had the potential to lift the stress on students forced to compete in a highly competitive CAO points race for college places.
“These [tertiary] third-level courses challenge the notion that your Leaving Cert results should determine your education and career path, define a person or their capabilities, or get in the way of their dreams,” he said, shortly after the launch of the scheme.
“With these courses I want to send a clear message to young people and their parents when considering options after school: you can be an engineer, a nurse, study business or work in ICT without ever having to worry about those archaic and stressful Leaving Cert points.”
Yet, three years into the operation of the initiative, the numbers taking part are disappointing. A total of 152 students started courses during the first intake in 2023 across 14 different degrees. Last year the number climbed to 224 tertiary students.
By comparison, the CAO this year received a record 83,000-plus applications, up from almost 77,000 last year.
[ Could my son really lose a college offer if his CAO details are incorrect?Opens in new window ]
So, why haven’t tertiary degree options caught the imagination of school leavers?
One chair of a further education college board, who declined to be named, questioned the extent to which higher education institutions have bought into the scheme.
“If you look at the courses on offer, they tend not to be the ones in high demand through the CAO,” the source said. “In many cases, they are courses the colleges are struggling to fill anyway. Until you see the really high points courses on offer, it won’t be the game-changer it was intended to be.”
The most popular tertiary degree routes so far are for courses in nursing. While it used to attract high points, it has fallen to between 340 and 420 points in recent years. Some tertiary courses have not had any participants.
Burke feels numbers taking part are relatively low because students are not aware of it, as well as a lingering stigma over further education being “second best”.
“There can be a feeling that if you’re not going straight into [University College Cork] or MTU, then you’re not really progressing properly,” says Burke, from Blackrock in Cork. “This is completely not the case.”
Another senior education observer points to the “rushed” manner in which tertiary degrees were introduced.
“I think Harris wanted it done in a hurry, with details to be thrashed out later. So, there are still unresolved issues around pay rates for staff in [Further Education and Training] colleges and poor linkages with traditional universities. Like it or not, they’re still seen as having a higher status.”
There are some signs of change, however.
University College Cork (UCC) is the first traditional university to offer tertiary degrees. One of its offerings is a BSc in occupational therapy, which had CAO entry points in excess of 500 points last year.
Tanya Jones, deputy director of the National Tertiary Office, which oversees the roll-out of the new offerings, says demand is increasing.
A total of 38 tertiary degrees are on offer this year across business, ICT, arts, engineering, social sciences, early learning & care, agricultural science, sport, construction and nursing.
More programmes are now being designed in partnership with industry to tackle skills shortages and equip students for careers in sectors that need them.
“Whether you’re finishing school, returning to education, or upskilling later in life, tertiary bachelors’ degrees are about meeting you where you are and helping you get to where you want to go,” Jones said.
“Options and demand are increasing year on year, demonstrating the need for and importance of a more accessible route like the one presented by tertiary bachelors’ degrees.”
These programmes ensure that your exam results won’t limit your options. If you’re willing to study and work hard, there’s a path for you in tertiary education.
Nessa White, executive director for transformation at Solas, the State body which oversees the further education and training (FET) sector, adds that a key differentiating factor for tertiary degrees is that they are much more accessible.
The fact that further education is available in almost every community across Ireland is, she says, creating a “supportive and tailored environment where people can develop their abilities and skills.”
“This makes it a great platform for progression to higher education,” she said.
Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless is convinced that the pathway will grow and give more students than ever the chance to pursue their ambitions without being tied down by the CAO points race.
“I understand that many young people feel anxious about their educational future, worrying each year if their Leaving Certificate results will be enough to get into the course they want,” he said. “These programmes ensure that your exam results won’t limit your options. If you’re willing to study and work hard, there’s a path for you in tertiary education.”
Burke, meanwhile, is on course to progress into the third year of his BSc in software development at MTU in September, having completed two years at Cork College of FET.
He says he values the one-to-one help he received in a further education setting, while smaller class sizes in first year meant the transition from secondary school wasn’t as daunting.
“If you need help in class, there’s never an issue. There’s a big emphasis on learning by doing ... you’re not just sitting in a lecture hall and listening.”
While he knows some students have struggled in university, Burke feels he has a more solid foundation of learning. His dream of working as a data scientist is alive and well.
“I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen to me to try this as an option. I’m excited to be gong to MTU in September ... I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.”
