Rise in application numbers for technological universities

The number of college applications in Ireland for nursing and medicine courses has declined this year as COVID-era interest in health-related courses continues to wane, writes Carl O’Brien for The Irish Times. By contrast, areas where there are plenty of job growth – such as technology, law, business and engineering – have grown in popularity this year.

In all, more than 78,000 applications have been received by Central Applications Office, an almost identical figure to last year. Applications from the North (-13%) and Britain (-3%) have continued to slide, while applications are up from the European Union and outside the EU (+17%).

There are also signs that college applicants are applying to newly created technological universities in greater numbers than ever before, according to informed sources. Many new technological universities have recorded a bump in application numbers, while some traditional universities say their numbers are down slightly.
Full report on The Irish Times site