COLLEGE COURSES CONCERNING health and business remain the most sought after in this year’s spell of CAO applications – but veterinary courses are on a notable rise.  

Data for this year’s CAO choices have been released today, with 2026 marking 50 years in the organisation’s history.

Over 88,817 CAO applications were made for the upcoming academic year by the 1 February deadline – a 6.5% increase on last year. It’s a massive increase on the CAO’s first intake in 1977, which saw 14,845 applicants to five higher education institutes. 

Of the narrow fields the available courses fall into this year, there were 91,571 mentions of health-related courses in level 8 applications, 16,872 of those being first preferences. It marks a 17% increase in the number of first preferences in the field from last year.

Medicine as a specialist group has 19,020 mentions, nursing and midwifery has 34,249, and dentistry has 3,199. Pharmacy has 4,924.

This is followed by business and administration, which has 57,742 mentions in current applications, 9,495 of those being first preferences. This is almost level with 2025 applications.

Other popular fields this year are Arts (44,857 mentions, 7,572 first preferences) and social and behavioural studies (36,954 mentions, 5,861 first preferences). The first preferences for both of these fields increased 7% on last year.

Of all the fields, veterinary has seen the biggest climb in demand: there is a 96% increase in mentions on applications and a 53% increase in first preferences.

It has received 3,890 mentions on applications this year, 1,443 of those being first preferences. In 2025, there were 945 first preferences and 1,982 mentions. 

There has been a 198% increase in the number of mentions of veterinary medicine and a 75% increase in first preferences. 

Courses concerning environment, journalism and information, and mathematics and statistics also jumped.

Two fields have seen a 10% drop in first preferences: Agriculture, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The overall mentions of ICTs dropped 6% – but Agriculture saw a 15% increase in mentions despite the drop in first preferences. 

A total of 303 first preferences have been registered for Agriculture while ICTs have 3,265.

Transport services, which has 122 mentions and 21 first preferences, has seen a 13% drop in first preferences – but a 10% increase in mentions.

The general manager of the CAO Joseph O’Grady said 50 years on from the organisation’s establishment, it retains its foundation in “fairness and transparency”.

Since 1977, there have been significant advancements in how the organisation and application process is run. The CAO’s application system went online in 2000.

There has been a significant increase in the number of EU applicants wishing to study at a HEI in Ireland over the past number of years, as well as larger demand from other cohorts not emerging from the Leaving Cert.

Most CAO applicants will be able to use the change of mind facility from 5 May, which will result in a change to these figures.