The points required for entry to third-level degree courses have risen slightly again this year, with notable increases in engineering, electronics and some maths and science subjects.
This trend is also reflected in the points for many certificate and diploma courses, evidence that students are beginning to listen to the urgings of political and business leaders to choose subjects geared to the new opportunities of Ireland's "knowledge economy".
Despite this, the courses with the highest points requirements - over 540 - remain the traditional ones of law, medicine, veterinary science and pharmacy. Indeed, if one includes psychology and dentistry, eight of the 15 highest points courses are related to medicine, while three include law.
However, a National Council for Curriculum and Assessment study in 1994 showed that the average points then required for a degree course were 250, and this has probably only risen slightly since.
There are 65,288 applicants for degree and certificate/diploma places this year, compared to 63,277 last year, an increase of 3.2 per cent; 76.4 per cent of applicants will receive at least one first-round offer, an increase of 2.2 per cent over last year.
The points requirements are up for over 130 degree courses and down for almost 100. However, the levels for many UCD courses have been distorted by the ending of that university's practice of giving bonus points for Leaving Certificate higher maths. The University of Limerick is now the only college awarding such points.
Three Dublin private colleges are included in the list for the first time: American College, Portobello College and LSB College. This contributes to the high number of new courses listed: over 50, of which half are business or computer-related.
Degree courses where points have risen by 30 or more include civil engineering at UCC; electronic and mechanical engineering at Cork Institute of Technology and NUI Galway; euroelectronic systems at DCU; manufacturing technology at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology; applied physics and electronic engineering at the University of Limerick; and mathematics, philosophy/political sci ence, management science, ancient history/archaeology, psychology and Spanish at TCD.
Degree courses where points fell by 30 or more include food business at UCC; medicine and actuarial/financial at UCD; physics with French at DCU; all the theology and philosophy courses at Milltown Park and All Hallows; and computers/German and modern Irish at TCD.
At several institutes of technology there is a noticeable increase in the points required for certificate and diploma courses in computing, electronics, business, applied languages and engineering.
CAO applicants who have received offers have until September 2nd to accept. Round two offers will be made on September 7th and the reply date is September 14th. Round three will be issued on September 17th and replies must be in by September 24th.
This year's first-round points for CAO courses are published in today's 32-page colour supplement. They are also available on The Irish Times on the Web (www.irish-times.com/cao/).
The College Places helpline of The Irish Times will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today only. The telephone number is (01) 6710328. In some College Places supplements today, the course MH051 at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, appears under the heading of NUI Maynooth.