Entrance to NUI Galway follows a similar pattern to others such as UCC and NUI Maynooth.
While the main feeder schools in 2003 for TCD and UCD were private fee-paying colleges and grind schools, nine of the top 10 schools sending students to NUI Galway are non fee-paying. All are drawn from the Galway area.
Included among these schools are Colaiste Seosamh, Jesus and Mary Secondary School, and Colaiste Iarfhlatha Naofa.
However, there are relatively few fee-paying schools in Galway, with Yeats College the only private school to feature prominently on the list.
Outside of the top 10, the geographical make-up of the university's students changes considerably.
Schools such as Colaiste Muire in Clare, St Joseph's College in Westmeath, and Summerhill College in Sligo, all send significant numbers of their students to the university, the list reveals.
The university itself was founded in 1845 and has experienced significant growth in recent years.
It has seven faculties, including Arts, Science, Law, Commerce, Engineering and Celtic studies, and has a student enrolment of around 12,500.
Last year, it launched an ambitious €250 million five-year strategic plan, which aims to place it at the forefront of broad-based research both in Ireland and internationally.
It also hopes to encourage a high standard of Irish and international students to make NUI Galway their college of choice.
Under its current president, Dr Iognaid Ó Muircheartaigh, it has also shown it can seriously compete for research funding with other universities.
At a recent briefing to mark the first anniversary of the its strategic plan, Dr Ó Muircheartaigh revealed the university had succeeded in attracting investments worth over €100 million.
It plans to develop a €35 million sports and cultural centre, and to increase its efforts to attract lucrative overseas students.
While approximately 5 per cent of NUI Galway's current student population come from overseas, the objective is to raise this to 10 per cent.
This is in part driven by the requirement from the Government for universities to diversify their sources of funding.
NUI Galway has one of the highest staff-student ratios in the third-level sector, making it a popular choice among CAO applicants.
However, it also aims to introduce a number of initiatives to improve student life on campus.
These include a new sports and cultural centre, and the development of a new entrance to the university.
While it has already raised some €25 million to develop its new engineering facility, it is seeking a further €30 million for the project.
It also hopes to complete a new €16 million business school and new nursing, health and social sciences building by September 2005.