The first round of the CAO offers published this morning reveals a significant drop in the points requirements for a range of courses signalling the end of the "points race".
The CAO offered places to almost 50,000 applicants, roughly the same number as sat the Leaving Certificate in June of this year leading to the drop in the points.
With the exception of medical-related courses, points are down across a broad range of courses in arts, business, science and social science.
Points for the most popular undergraduate course in the State - arts at UCD - have fallen from 370 five years ago to 350 this year. Points for arts and social science courses are down across the university sector.
It is expected that more than 75 per cent of all students will secure one of their top three CAO choices this year.
The falling number of students has been blamed for the decline in points levels with 3,000 fewer students completing the Leaving Certificate this year compared with last year, while the overall figure sitting the exam (51,000) is down from a high of close to 70,000 two decades ago.
There has also been an increase in the number of courses available to students.