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THE NUMBER OF courses that require 500 points has increased significantly.
There has been a big jump in the amount of points required for those looking to study business studies, engineering, commerce and law.
It is thought that this is due to the prevalence of niche courses, with which universities have been facing criticism for artificially inflating the points required for specific areas.
What courses have gone up?
Engineering at Trinity College Dublin has risen by 25 points to 495 from 470 last year. There was a similar increase in the same subject at UCD, up 20 points from 490 to 510.
Business studies courses at Trinity have also seen substantial increases. The business studies and French course at the university has seen its points increase from 505 points up to 545. The same course taken with a German component has gone up from 485 to 500.
Commerce at UCC has also seen big jumps in the number of points required. The subject taken on its own has gone from 435 to 455. Commerce with German at the university has seen points go from 465 to 490.
Speaking about the offers being made today, general manager of the CAO, Joe O’Grady has asked students to check their correspondence with the application body at this stage.
“It is extremely important,” he said, “that applicants notify CAO immediately if there are any errors or omissions in any of the correspondence received from CAO.
They must make sure to do this well in advance of the next offer round to allow any corrections to be considered in subsequent offer rounds.
Overall figures
The CAO is today issuing 75,194 offers to 52,028 applicants. These consist of 40,599 offers for level 8 courses and 34,595 offers for level 7 and 6 courses.
The area that has seen the highest number of first round offers has been arts and social sciences, with 16,047 offers being made in this area.
Into the system there has been 2,193 applying with A Levels from the UK and Northern Ireland.
Applicants have until 5.15pm on 24 August to accept round one offers.
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Congratulations to everyone who got what they were after. I recall the day I got my results. I collected them at 10am and buried my friend at 11am. It really put everything into perspective. I graduated from college there in June, after years of pissing about with a bad leaving cert. it’s not the be all and end all. There are many ways of doing what you want. As much as it feels like everything to you right now, you’ll look back in years to come and realise it’s not the end of the world. Stay safe you crazy kids
I really wish people would stop telling kids that the biggest exam of their life isn’t important. It impacts your career. 500 points isn’t a lot, one or two As would get you there.
Poor attempt at trolling really.
One or two A1s? It is pretty difficult to memorise that amount of textbooks back to front to get them, 500 points is alot of points and these people should be very happy that they got such a high level of points.
Jax I don’t think Todd is trolling. He genuinely believes that the Leaving Cert is something you don’t take seriously.
Aaron it’s only difficult to reach 500 points if you take the easy way out and do the ordinary level papers. With the 25 extra points from honours maths there’s no excuse anymore. Work hard now and avoid social welfare after college.
For alot of people, they cannot do the higher level papers of the likes of Irish and Maths, so that assumption is wholly unfair. It is very difficult to cope with the stress of all honors and get high results in all of them
Aaron it’s only your best 6 subjects that are counted. So if you have two weak subjects you can get over 500 points even if you get a C or a B in your other weak subject – as long as you do reasonably well in the other subjects. This isn’t rocket science people. I would never hire someone who couldn’t even get 500 points. It’s the bare minimum most employers look for.
Yes because you’re an experienced employer. So you wouldn’t hire anyone who got the 400 points to study the course that you list on the jobs requirement page? If you were an employer you would be out of business very fast, but anyone with a pavee point picture as their profile picture doesn’t have the capability to run a company nor attain 500 points.
Lindsay did you get half of your husband’s leaving cert points in the divorce?
Aaron so you dislike the travelling/roma communities as well as hard work? Explains a lot.
He paid for me to go to college abroad, where points aren’t so important. That’s how I got the drama degree.
Yeah I dislike that community, always have. Anyway, yes Katie it is your 6 best subjects, so to get the 500 you have to get a B1 in all 6 subjects at the least. Unless you bring in the achieving of A1s also. So Katie, it is clear that you put yourself above everyone else from the blatent idiocy of your attitude to hiring anyone with sub 500 points regardless if they achieved the course required on your job application page. You would be without many employees. You put the Leaving Cert ahead of an actual university degree in terms of intelligence required. There is no way anyone as thick as you could achieve anywhere close to 300 points, let alone 500. However, I believe you are just trolling.
You put it to good use in fairness.
I’m not going to talk to a self described racist.
Did you actually do the LC? Knackers. *cough* sorry travellers don’t normally do the LC, they typically opt for dole and burglary. Damn I love stereotypes.
It’s ok Katie, I typically don’t enjoy talking to theifs and dole suckers.
Wow you give out to Katie for putting herself above people who don’t do well in the Leaving Cert, and then put yourself above everyone from the travelling community. Hypocrite much? Go say that to a traveller’s face, I dare you.
Just to clarify for everyone else reading here, I don’t actually paint the travelling community with the same brush. Unlike Katie here who paints everyone with sub 500 points with the same brush. She decided to troll and I think I made her cry, that was the goal. Clearly from the stupidity in her comments and attitude she did not 500 points. Well done to everyone who got what they wanted, you deserve it despite what Katie thinks and if you didn’t get it, don’t fret, you can repeat, take a gap year like I did and you may discover that other interests call you instead of your first choice. After two years off I am going back to college and I couldn’t be happier in my choice.
Lindsay, its called fighting fire with fire, read the comment I have just posted, I live in quite an impoverished area and have many friends from the travelling community.
Also getting 450 is doing well in the leaving cert, getting your course no matter the points is doing well Lindsay, Katie puts her self above anybody who didn’t reach 500 points, a level that she clearly did not get and she puts the LC on a higher level grade than a degree.
You’re wasting your time with those two accounts ,Aaron. Same dude ..
Yeah I was thinking that, meh I think J achieved my goal anyway.
85% of people get below 500 points – I guess that means 85% of people are destined to be unemployed?
You are one of these people who just want in life, you obviously think that you are someone special and you are “quite special” I’d say!!
It’s crazy how stupid she is.
Just made yourself look stupid arguing with an obvious troll Aaron, wouldn’t waste my time.
Yeah I suppose but it was fun.
“I really wish people would stop telling kids that the biggest exam of their life isn’t important”
It’s because it isn’t!
I’d put the practical driving test above the Leaving Cert
Actual practical knowledge is being assessed rather than your ability to regurgitate facts all over a few sheets of paper!!
I done terrible in my leaving cert 3 years ago and today I got an offer into Tralee IT to study Wildlife Biology, there’s other ways around, its only a helpful way point but its not what people make it out to be!
Gavin it is important, it isn’t the end of your life but it still is important.
It’s important in a person’s life for about 2 years and then pales into insignificance!!
Practical driving test now, THAT’S important!!
It allows you to get into college and gives you a direct path to your future, it is unfair to say it’s not important.
I WOULD be unfair to say it’s unimportant!
That’s why I didn’t say it!!
But it is not AS important as the Practical Driving test, say!
It is so unfair on a student who studied their ass off to say get business at 505 points and they achieved say 515, just to find out it went up by what 40 points? It is punishing not only the people who didn’t work, but also the people who obeyed the system, gave up their social lives and studied their asses off for two years.
Points are determined by demand from students. Any student who didn’t get a place on their CAO course wasn’t up to the same standard of those who did. Please stop making excuses for failure.
So a computer genius isn’t up to the same standard to study computer science as a computer illiterate who learnt of a few stupid picture stories revolving around a dead language is? Stop the bad attempt at trolling.
Only reason business is so high is because, like teaching, people put it down because they don’t know what else to do. It’s hard on the people who mightn’t be as academic and want to do the courses when the points skyrocket
The issue with the system is that it’s based on popularity not intellect, if the points were made realistic according to intelligence levels required it would be that bit fairer. Someone may have the intellect to study business but not may not get the points because of increases due to popularity, not intelligence.
Then look for lower point courses obvs. Despite what the media might think, there are many many many courses under 500 and even 400 points.
Yes there is and because of the system it is so oddly placed, some of the more difficult courses can be situated at the 300 mark.
For anyone who didn’t get what they want, I know it sucks and it feels like your life is over but its not there is so many options available, repeat the LC, take a gap year discover other courses or online flexible learning, often times they don’t require entry points into full time degrees and are just as respected by employers for the motivation and determination needed to complete them while keeping a full time job. To everyone who did get their course, well done you deserve every bit of it and enjoy college tl the fullest!
Don’t worry young ones, the points for drawing the dole have dropped so you will be grand.
I got offered biopharmaceutical chemistry in galway which I really don’t want to do but I’d love to go to Galway to study . My choice is to take it or take a year out.
Of course you have no need to worry about paying for your courses now either.
The CAO are even handing out scholarships to people who aren’t even Irish, just play the beál bocht and you are in.
That’s not what that story was about!
She wasn’t handed a scholarship. She got the ability to pay her fees the same amount as a native Irish student gets instead of an International student!!
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