A move away from high-tech computer and IT courses by this year's Leaving Cert students has caused applications for several third-level colleges to plummet, according to confidential CAO figures.
Applications for some computer courses are down by as much as 20 per cent as students respond to the slump in the high-tech sector. Students are opting instead for more traditional disciplines such as arts, business and law, say admissions officers.
The reaction among students to the so-called "dot.com" crash, has contributed significantly to an almost 13 per cent drop in first preference applications to DCU, and 8.5 per cent fall at the University of Limerick.
The drop in applications for IT courses and several other factors have altered the pecking order among third-level colleges generally, with an unprecedented rise of 23 per cent in first preference applications for NUI Maynooth.
Among the reasons for the surge in applications for the Kildare-based university is the growth of commuter towns around Dublin and also its strong presence in arts, science and engineering.
At the top, however, is UCD, which saw its first preferences rise by almost 9 per cent. This meant it was considerably ahead of its main rival, Trinity College, which experienced a slight dip of 1 per cent in first preferences.
Last year DIT was number one, but this year its first preferences have dropped by over 11 per cent, leaving it in third position behind UCD and Trinity.
The declining interest in computer courses appears to have hit DCU particularly hard, with its first preferences down by almost 13 per cent, the largest fall among all seven universities and the DIT. DCU's total number of applications (first preferences plus all other applications) were down 12 per cent.
First preference applications refer to courses that students put down on their CAO list as number one. It is regarded as the most reliable indicator of what courses students will accept in September.
The figures - obtained by The Irish Times - are released to the colleges only, who are not prepared to disclose them because they worry students might use them as a guide to what college is best. The figures are provisional because most students can change their choices up until the summer.
According to admissions officers, the decline in computing has been caused by the "dot.com" crash among computer firms, particularly in the US.
Students were completing their CAO forms in December and January when publicity about the disastrous financial performance of these firms was at its most intense. This picture became bleaker in the wake of September 11th.
Admissions officers say interest in high-tech courses could be reignited later in the year as the computer industry recovers and multinationals start recruiting again.
The number of people applying to the CAO has remained relatively stable, with only a 0.3 per cent drop in the number of CAO degree applicants. While the number of school-leavers is declining, there is increasing interest in courses offered through the CAO.