NUI Galway has a far more diverse student intake than other large universities, particularly those in Dublin, according to the latest figures on college entry.
The figures, published for the first time in The Irish Times, show that while students from fee-paying schools are heavily represented at universities such as TCD and UCD, NUI Galway draws students from a broader range of schools scattered throughout the west of Ireland.
The figures point to a major contrast between the education systems in Dublin and in the west. In Dublin there are a plethora of fee-paying schools, while in Galway fee-paying schools remain extremely rare. Those that charge fees are often boarding schools.
Because of its location in Galway city, NUI Galway has a virtual monopoly on university education in the west. The figures illustrate that it is able to draw students from all the surrounding counties, particularly Sligo and Mayo.
However, the figures for UCC more closely match the patterns of UCD and Trinity, with the private grind school Bruce College sending more students to UCC than any other school in the State.
It provided 96 students to UCC in 2001/2002, followed closely by the fee-paying Presentation College Cork, which provided 76 students.
The other top providers of students to UCC were a mixture of fee paying schools and non-fee paying schools.
The figures for both universities show that religious owned schools, controlled by orders such as the Loreto nuns and the Christian Brothers, continue to be highly successful in getting students into local universities.