ASK the universities what they think of mature students and they'll invariably tell you that they are hard working, self disciplined and highly motivated. With or without the Leaving Cert, they are intelligent, articulate and a joy to teach. Some colleges even say that significant numbers of mature students outperform their younger colleagues.

With recommendations like these, you'd expect our colleges to be over flowing with mature students, but the sad fact is that only a tiny minority of over 23 year olds make it to the groves of academe. For many would be mature students the obstacles on the road to third level are insurmountable. Even the applications process is fraught with complications.

No more than 10 per cent of full time, university undergraduate places are reserved for mature students and it varies from college to college and even from department to department. Some institutions and many departments within the colleges offer no reserved places at all.

In some cases students must apply directly to the colleges, while in others students must go through the CAO/CAS system. This latter is a matter of administrative convenience only, since mature students are offered places directly by the universities on an individual basis.

Demand by mature students for third level places far exceeds availability, according to Berni Brady, director of AONTAS, the National Association of Adult Education. But figures are hard to come by and even the CAO is unable to supply information on the number of mature applicants.

Indeed very little information is available on mature students - very little research has been conducted and, if the colleges do keep records, some are reluctant to disclose the information.

Much of what we know is anecdotal. However, research by Dr Kathleen Lynch, director of UCD's Equality Studies Centre, shows that in 1993/94 mature students represented only 5 per cent of the full time university undergraduate population. The majority of students are middle and lower middle class - very few people from disadvantaged backgrounds are making it to third level, even as mature students, she says.

Mature students include people in employment, unpaid homeworkers and registered unemployed. They embark on third level courses for a variety of reasons: some lacked the opportunity first time around, others wish to update their professional knowledge and acquire additional qualifications, while another group are motivated by personal fulfilment.

Traditionally, mature students gravitate towards the arts and humanities rather than to science and engineering subjects. Of the 124 full time mature students admitted to TCD in 1996, over half went into the arts, humanities, business, economics and social studies, while only six students went into science and eleven into health sciences.

ONCE at university mature students perform well. They represent 25 per cent of the undergraduates on the humanities programme at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin.

Last year two of the four students who graduated with first class honours and nine of the 16 who gained two:ones were mature students. In UCG 86 percent of mature students in first year arts passed the end of year exams in 1995.

According to Cora Cregan, career advisor at St Patrick's College, second chance students who come to college from access programmes are often better equipped for third level life than those who have returned to education to take the Leaving Cert. "On access courses they learn how to write third level essays, how to conduct research, how to take lecture notes and how to read for academic purposes," she says.

The drop out rate among mature students is minimal. The Initial selection process, which includes careful interviewing, plays a significant role in reducing the drop out rate, Professor John Murray of TCD points out. When students do drop out it is invariably for personal rather than academic reasons, he says.

Mature students face a whole range of problems of which their junior counterparts remain largely unaware. The decision to go back to college is a huge step for most adults, who are likely to experience crises of confidence in their abilities to cope at third level.

"They need great support from college staff and from the home," says Dr Brenna Clarke, a member of the mature students' committee at St Patrick's College. Married women have particular difficulties - many of them are expected to combine home duties with college schedules, which can put enormous pressures on their time.

THERE can be huge strains on personal and family relationships. Time spent studying rather than socialising or caring for the family can be a source of conflict. Spouses may find it difficult to cope with their partners' new life and new interests. Some men in particular may feel threatened by wives who are becoming more qualified than they are. Some women drop out of third level for precisely these reasons. But many married women will tell you that they would have been unable to succeed without their husbands' support and encouragement.

"Mature students are coming in from a variety of backgrounds," says Dr Nollaig Mac Congail, UCG's dean of arts. "They are more vulnerable than younger students - they carry extra burdens of family, bereavement, unemployment and dependencies. Our mature students come from all over Ireland - having to uproot can be a problem for them."

Money too is a major problem for most mature students. Some give up jobs to return to education. Full time mature students at publicly funded third level institutions are now entitled to free fees. Mature students entering third level education for the first time are eligible for grants which are means tested.

However, if you have fewer than four dependent children and your spouse earns more than £17,469 (this figure will be adjusted by the Department of Education in May for next year), you are ineligible for a full maintenance grant. Kathleen Lynch says that she knows of a number of very bright women who are financially dependant on their husbands and have dropped out of college, because their husbands are unwilling to give them financial support or to pay for childcare.

Meanwhile, social welfare recipients getting unemployment or lone parents' benefits are eligible for the Department of Social Welfare's Full Time Education Courses - Third Level Allowance Pilot Scheme which enables mature students to get higher education grants while retaining their social welfare payments.

IN some colleges mature students are left alone to manage as best they can. Other colleges provide prefreshers' week induction courses and academic skills programmes including study skills and time management. In a number of instances, the mature students themselves have formed their own support groups.

In fairness to the colleges, they have been overwhelmed in recent years by growing demands for places by schoolleavers. However, these numbers are about to drop and very shortly the universities will be competing with each other for mature students.

Many educators are calling for a national co ordination body for mature students. "If we are serious about second chance education," says Mac Congail, "we should be creating a national policy with quotas for each college."

Lynch argues: "We need a nationally co ordinated programme to enable mature people to get into college. "There are a lot of access courses available but they are very ad hoc."

Meanwhile, Berni Brady is calling for a national careers and guidance counselling service. "People who want to go to third level find it extremely difficult to get information," she says. "We get at least 30 enquiries a day from people who are considering third level."