A Case Study of Supply and Demand - How College Places are Distributed in Ireland

Have you ever wondered how college places are distributed in Ireland?

3. According to CAO Media Stats, in 2022 57,296 people received an offer in Round One. 4 out of 5 people who applied for Level 8 courses received a Round One offer with one of their top three preferences. 98% of people who applied for Level 7/6 courses received one of their top three preferences.

4. According to CAO, the most significant increases and decreases in demand for Level 8 and Level 7/6 courses are:

5. Grade inflation of Leaving Cert points is particularly evident between 2019 and 2022 points. This is reflective of the "income" of the consumer and thus is naturally going to push up the "price" of getting into courses through higher points requirements.

For example, in 2019, 1.4% of the 56,071 students scored over 600 points. A little over 1 out of 3 students scored over 400 points and 62.8% of students scored over 300 points.

In contrast, in 2022, 5.5% of the 58,056 students scored over 600 points, More than 1 in 2 students scored 400 points and 75.1% of students scored over 300 points.

6. Sharon McCooey, Head of LinkedIn Ireland, was quoted in an Irish Times piece saying that "the five fastest growing green jobs between 2016 and 2021 were sustainability managers, wind turbine technicians, solar consultants, ecologists, and environmental health and safety specialists"

Indeed’s Pawel Adrjan says demand for healthcare roles – which was boosted by the pandemic – will persevere in the years ahead. “Since the pandemic we have seen consistent high demand across essential services such as healthcare – at the moment therapy, pharmacy and home care are particularly in demand,” he says. “When trying to predict a prosperous career path, one thing to look at is currently pressing problems or developing areas – environmental issues, socio economic development, digital connectivity – these can be a good predictor of where demand will lie.

7. The "HEAR and DARE" opportunities ensure that people who may not have the same chance to do their Leaving Cert and go through third level due to either economic disadvantage or disability have a better chance of succeeding.

8. Of course, there are always going to be unplanned factors whether that's a pandemic, inflation or other things that we don't expect.

Finally, it's interesting that the above Irish Times piece notes "It is estimated that about 65 per cent of school-leavers progress to higher education, one of the highest levels in Europe" and if you want to check out any course details, the Qualifax website can be a super source.