The privately run Dublin grind school, the Institute of Education, has provided the highest number of students to DCU for the academic year ahead, new figures show.
However, the intake figures covering the academic year 2002/2003 show that DCU has a far broader intake of students than the other Dublin universities, UCD and TCD.
This is the first time The Irish Times has published college entry patterns based on the very latest registrations.
The Institute of Education has provided 25 students to DCU, followed by Skerries Community College with 17 students.
The remainder of the top 10 feeder schools are mainly non-fee-paying, although another grind school, Bruce College, also makes it into the top 10.
DCU draws heavily from schools around Dublin's northside. Because it got involved in access issues early on, the college has a broader range of feeder schools than the other universities.
The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, indicate that third-level intakes differ widely throughout the third-level system.
UCD and Trinity appear to have the most obvious links with fee-paying schools, whereas the other universities have broader catchments.
DCU, formerly the NIHE in Glasnevin, has achieved major growth in recent years. Its former president, Dr Daniel O'Hare, is widely credited for his vision in creating a university on Dublin's northside.
The university is undergoing a major expansion programme under Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski, the current president.
The college has established something of a niche in the high-tech area, but the downturn in that sector has hit applications for DCU's computer courses.
During the summer, the college was accused of manipulating the entry requirements for one of its computer courses in order to keep CAO points artificially high.
This arose after the college reduced the number of places it was prepared to offer on its computer applications course.
The college at the time said if it had offered its usual number of places, weaker students would have been admitted and many of them would not have been able to stay the course.
The latest figures do not take account of the precise number of students taking the Leaving Cert in each school.
The Department of Education refuses to release this information because it says it would be used to compile school league tables. This is strictly prohibited under the Education Act 1998.
The operation of this legislation has been challenged in the courts by newspapers, but their arguments have been rejected.
Teachers have questioned whether figures on college admissions accurately reflect the work and performance of schools. But parents' groups have welcomed the publication of the data.
The furore over the dominance of fee-paying schools at some colleges was one of the factors which prompted the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, to reopen the issue of third-level fees. He has said fees may be reintroduced for those who can afford them.
On Monday The Irish Times will publish college entry patterns for NUI Maynooth. The figures for the University of Limerick will follow shortly.