Dublin City University has opened all of its degree courses to direct entry by elite athletes. It means that applicants with a strong sporting background will be able to secure entry without satisfying the full academic points requirements. This method of entry, introduced in 2001, had previously applied only to School of Health and Human Performance.
According to a statement from DCU the scheme will apply to those who "have played or coached GAA games at county level, soccer or rugby at interprovincial level, and other games or sport at international level".
Footballers who have represented Ireland in the International Rules youth series would also be eligible.
No more than 10 places will be made available and they will be additional to the normal intake.
Professor Niall Moyna, the Head of the DCU School of Health and Human Performance, said: "It will recognise the fact that world-class athletes must give up a lot of their time to achieve excellence in sport. But academic standards will also be a priority - we want to ensure that these young men and women, who are our key Olympic and international athletes of the future, can also get top-level degrees.
"This elite athletes' entry scheme will simply close the gap for key sportspersons who lose some ground in the points race because of the heavy demands of training - and fall short of the level required for their chosen course."
DCU were involved in recent controversy when four intercounty footballers were suspended having played for the university while adjudged to be not full-time students. Shane Ryan, Ross Munnelly, Diarmuid Kinsella and Des Dolan all won their appeal on a technicality.
But when asked on RTÉ Radio's Five-Seven Live whether this scheme would be a way of solving DCU's Sigerson Cup problems, Moyna replied: "We have offered squash players, rugby, soccer, boxing, rowing and in all of those sports we don't have teams. It's not about recruiting players. Hopefully we're a much bigger university than that."
Among those who have joined DCU through the scheme are Dublin footballer Bryan Cullen, athlete Martina McCarthy who ran in the Sydney Olympics, boxer Darren Sutherland and Kevin Reilly, the Meath fullback.
To apply candidates should file a normal CAO application, and then separately submit a supplementary application form, available from the university, together with a portfolio and a 300-word personal statement, to DCU by May 1st 2006.
