Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland THE FIRST ROUND of CAO placements have been published, offering 78,950 places in college, university or another educational institution to 53,815 applicants.
This has resulted in 2,225 additional places being made available for incoming third-level students – a 12% increase in places when compared with last year. Of the offers given out today, 47,162 are Level 8 courses and 52% of those are first preference offers. 80%, or 37,678, are the first, second, or third preference of the students who applied for them.
Likewise in University College Dublin, several courses have climbed above 600 – Actuarial and Financial Studies and Economics and Finance . Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris offered his congratulations to students who received their first round CAO offers, recognising the strong competition for places this year.