A secondary school principal in Co Cork has criticised the "entirely inhuman" way in which the Central Applications Office (CAO) has treated one of her students.
The student submitted a change-of-mind form last June but it was not recognised because of a computer breakdown at the CAO in Galway.
The CAO has been widely criticised in education circles for its failure to tell students about the problem.
It only acknowledged the problem yesterday after upset callers to The Irish Times helpline said their change-of-mind form had not been recognised in the first round of offers.
On Monday, the CAO said only three students had contacted it to say they were affected by the computer breakdown.
It now transpires, however, that 20 and possibly more students have been affected.
The computer system failed on June 22nd as many students completed the change-of-mind process.
Mary Ryan, principal of Loreto secondary School in Fermoy, Co Cork, yesterday said that one of her students had been very badly treated by the CAO.
"If I had treated one of my students like this I would rightly be taken to task," she said.
Ms Ryan explained that as a result of the CAO's error, her student was offered her original first choice - law at University College Cork - instead of her new first choice, accounting at UCC.
The student achieved 550 points in this year's Leaving Certificate and could have had a place on either course.
However, due to the problem with the CAO's computer system, her change-of-mind form had not been recognised, even though she had received a receipt acknowledging her new application in June.
In correspondence addressed to Ivor Gleeson, general manager of the CAO, Ms Ryan writes: "I am absolutely shocked at the unsympathetic and unhelpful tone of the e-mail received from your office by our school's guidance counsellor," she said.
"I understand from the news report that the CAO intends to rectify the problem, but I consider lack of confirmation of this to the school as entirely inhuman."
Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, the student, who did not wish to be named, also described her shock at receiving the wrong offer in this week's CAO first round offers.
She said she was now facing the prospect of studying law, which was her fourth choice on her CAO change-of-mind form, with a view to transferring courses, if this was possible.
"I wasn't worried about it at all, I was very confident I would get accounting," she said.
"I have no idea where it leaves me. I'll have to take up law if it is my only option.
"I will have to see. I think the CAO should be doing more to help, " she added.
A spokesman for the CAO yesterday said it expected any applicant who found themselves in such a position to be offered a place in the second round offers.
"We would expect all applicants in this position on September 1st [ when the second round offers come out] to be offered the course which they would have been offered had the information been correct in the first round offers, " he said.
He added that he understood that "at least one institution" had already been in touch with an applicant to inform them that it would be instructing the CAO to offer them a place in the second round CAO offers.
