LAST YEAR UCAS, the UK equivalent of the CAO, received 86,000 applications from Irish students at all levels of education, from Leaving Certificate pupils to postgraduate students.
Northern Ireland was the most popular destination, with 25,000 applications, followed by Scotland with over 10,000 and the Greater London area with 9,000. Of those 1995 applicants, 4,500 their offers of places, compared to only 3,000 acceptances the previous year.
The general pattern is clear, even taking into account the ongoing confusion over the extension of Irish higher education maintenance grants to students in the UK and the use of UK applications as a safeguard in case a CAO offer does not materialise, the UK continues to be an attractive option for Irish third level students.
One factor in this appears to have been the fact that third level courses in the UK were free, leaving students with only maintenance to worry about, but the removal of third level fees in this country is unlikely to stem the flow of students to Britain and Northern Ireland.
"Funding is one thing, but it is not the deciding factor," says Angela Crean of the British Council. "I think, in general, it's the squeeze on places here. People use it as a backup.
Courses with limited places in Ireland continue to prove attractive, including medical subjects (physiotherapy, pharmacy and radiography among them) which attracted 570 applicants in 1995 and architecture (over 600 applicants).
Psychology, optics, speech therapy, sports management, some construction courses and the greater variety of art and design and communication courses available through UCAS are also popular with Irish students.
"Virtually all the students I know who are applying to UCAS would have applied to the CAO as well" says Crean. "Some of them would he people who would feel they have no chance of getting veterinary or medicine in Ireland and think that applying CASE adds an extra string to their bow."
According to Crean, the misconception remains among Irish applicants that it is significantly easier to gain a place on medical or veterinary courses in the UK. Given the population difference, Irish students hopeful of entering veterinary medicine might be unwise to pin too many hopes to an offer from the UK. In 1994, there were only 99 Irish students studying veterinary medicine at various levels in the UK and in 1995, only 24 Irish students were accepted into medical and dental faculties through UCAS.
A second problem for those seeking entry to such high demand faculties centres around the Leaving Certificate. While the Leaving Cert is generally accepted by UK colleges the general entrance requirement is a minimum of a pass in five subjects, to include three honours A Level chemistry is sometimes required for veterinary medicine, medicine and pharmacy.
It should be noted that many institutions will exercise discretion with entry requirements with most placing heavy emphasis on the interviews and personal statements. The system is far more subjective than its Irish equivalent and phone calls to faculties, written communication and, where possible, personal visits can all be a determining factor in a student's final acceptance on a course.
The Department of Education continues to prevaricate over the extension of maintenance grants to students in the UK, although a final decision is expected to be made this month. In principle, the Department has agreed to extend grants to "approved courses" in the UK but has yet to indicate the precise nature of such courses.
The cost of studying in the UK remains high it could be as high as £5,000 over a year when books, rent, clothing and travel are taken into account.
The Greater London area remains the most expensive for students, with the British Council making a provisional estimate of £600 per month for expenses. Wales, by contrast, is believed to be she cheapest place to study living expenses can be as low as £264 per month. Elsewhere, studying in Scotland will set you back an estimated £340 per month, the Midlands £364 per month and Oxford or Cambridge around £370 per month.
Only UK residents can avail of grant support from UK authorities and a similar condition applies for participation in the student loan scheme.
First years and students from outside the UK receive priority when on campus accommodation is being assigned.
Choosing a college can be a difficult matter. A good indicator of the quality of a college is its level of postgraduate research and study. Also, prospective students should be wary of denigrating a college simply because it was formerly a polytechnic, since some universities offer better combinations of subjects and more vocation oriented courses. Students should also check their course of choice is validated professional organisations in the particularly useful guide for students intending to study in the shed by Macmillan It costs £12.99 and includes a description of the facilities available on each campus, accommodation costs and social life.
