Business group Ibec welcomed the increase in demand for science and technology courses at third level, as first-round CAO offers were published today.
The body noted the increased points required reflected a 17.4 per cent increase in first preferences for science honours degree courses.
“We are beginning to attract more high calibre students into subjects for which we are likely to see a demand from industry into the foreseeable future,” Ibec said.
It said it rejected the suggestion that the 25 additional bonus points for higher level maths had distorted the CAO points system.
Head of education policy Tony Donohoe said: “The points system has many shortcomings, particularly its impact on education practice at second level.
“However it is an efficient system for matching demand for college courses to the supply.”
Mr Donohoe said that in any given year, students were competing with each other for a fixed number of places.
“Therefore it is their performance relative to each other that determines their chance of gaining their preferred choice.
“The decision to award bonus points was designed to acknowledge the extra workload associated with higher level maths and to encourage more students to move up a level. It has achieved that aim.”
Dublin City University said 67 per cent of its degree programmes had recorded increases in entry points this year.
These were particularly strong in science, technology and engineering subjects, as well as programmes combining business and languages.
The college made 2,364 first-round offers to CAO applicants today, providing an additional 284 places, a rise of 13.6 per cent since last year.
Significant increases in points included a jump of 60 points year-on-year for the college’s computer applications degree.
DCU President, Prof Brian MacCraith said he was delighted to note that over two thirds of the college’s degree programmes were showing increased demand, most evident in STEM and business degrees.
“Although Maths bonus points may have contributed somewhat, it is significant that in most cases the points increases far exceed the extra 25 points on offer in higher maths,” he said.
Points for many degree courses at Trinity College Dublin had risen “significantly”, said the provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast.
About 3,297 places are being offered to prospective undergraduate students.
He said the increase in points reflected the growth in the number of CAO applicants, the quality of the college’s courses and the international standing of the university.
But it also reflected the effects of the bonus points on offer for students who count higher level maths as one of their six subjects.
He said that while the college was delighted to see so many students aspire to study at Trinity, the colleged noted the pressures created by the current points system raised “challenges to equity of access”.
TCD was determined to address this by finding better ways of admitting students with the ability and potential to thrive academically.
Points for medicine at TCD have risen five points to 746, pharmacy is up 25 points to 575 and radiation therapy is up 525 to 545.
Dental science and occupational therapy are both up 15 points to 500 and 515 respectively. All nursing programmes are also showing increases, with children’s and general nursing up 30 points to 525.
The general entry science programme is up 35 points from 475 to 510 points.