Demand for places at NUI Galway has soared with first preferences applications for undergraduate degrees increasing by 18 per cent in the last two years.
According to figures released by the Central Applications Office (CAO ) following the change of mind deadline of July 1, there was another dramatic rise in the demand for places at NUI Galway, which is the current Sunday Times University of the Year, and its share of the university sector’s first preference applications now stands at 14.3 per cent.
Applications made through the change of mind CAO system have been rising steadily and have now reached record levels of more than 77,000. NUI Galway experienced the biggest increase in first preference applications with an increase of 595, bringing it to 5,690, which is the highest to date and places the university in fourth place in terms of popularity.
The country’s most popular university is currently UCD which has moved ahead of Trinity College. The figures show that over the past few months the number of first preferences for UCD has increased by 319 to 8,197 while Trinity’s first preferences fell by 70 to 7,717. This is followed by UCC whose first preference applications went up by 216 to 6,302.
Commenting on the rising demand for places, president of NUI Galway Dr James Browne said: “We are seeing a phenomenal demand for places at NUI Galway. This is driven in part by the 20 new undergraduate courses which we have brought on stream over the last three years. There are also a range of new sports, arts, and academic facilities on our state-of-the art campus. Another critical factor in attracting applicants is the university’s commitment to providing our students with a learning experience that has relevance for the real world.”
