More students from Dublin's disadvantaged areas are proceeding to third level - but their numbers remain relatively low, according to a new study.
The study also finds that the number of 17-19-year-olds in Dublin going on to third level is the second-lowest among the 26 counties.
Only 45 per cent of Dublin school-leavers proceed to college, compared to over 75 per cent in Leitrim.
The situation in some Dublin districts is particularly bleak even though the numbers going on to college are increasing. Only one in five school-leavers, or fewer, went to third level in some areas. These included Dublin 1 (North Inner City), Dublin 22 (Clondalkin-Neilstown), Dublin 20 (Palmerstown), Dublin 17 (Priorswood-Darndale), and Dublin 10 (Ballyfermot-Chapelizod).
On the other hand, eight postal districts had admission rates higher than the overall Dublin county average. These were, Dublin 14 (Rathfarnham), Dublin 18 (Foxrock-Glencullen), Dublin 6 (Rathmines-Terenure), Dublin 16 (Ballyboden-Ballinteer), Dublin 3 (Clontarf-Marino), Dublin 15 (Castleknock-Blanchardstown), Dublin 4 (Ballsbridge-Donnybrook) and Dublin 9 (Whitehall-Beaumont).
Generally, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) study finds that, on a national basis, the number of students from lower socio-economic groups at third level has increased.
The percentage of new entrants from an unskilled manual background has increased from 3.5 per cent to just over 4 per cent.
The county with the highest number of school-leavers going on to third level was Leitrim, with a 75 per cent admission rate. Other counties with high rates of admission (over 60 per cent) were Longford, Clare, Kerry, Mayo and Galway.
The counties with the lowest participation rates were Donegal (39 per cent), Dublin (45 per cent), Monaghan (46 per cent), Wicklow and Offaly (49 per cent) and Laois (52 per cent).
The report indicates that 54 per cent of 17-19 year olds are making it to third level.
This means that participation in higher education in Ireland has passed the 50 per cent mark for the first time.
Overall, the percentage of school-leavers in third level has increased from just 20 per cent in 1980 to over 54 per cent in 2003.
Other key findings in the report include:
Between 1998 and 2003 all 26 counties experienced an increase in their admission rates to higher education.
Twenty of the 26 counties had admission rates to higher education equal to or greater than the national average of 54 per cent.
The admission rate (ie the number of school-leavers in college) for Dublin has risen by five percentage points to 45 per cent over the period, with increases in 17 of the city's 21 postal districts .
Women formed the majority of new entrants to universities (58 per cent) and colleges of education (86 per cent) while men were in the majority in institutes of technology (56 per cent) and other colleges (54 per cent).
The report, A Review of Participation in Higher Education in 2003, was commissioned by the HEA from Fitzpatrick Associates and the ESRI.
