A new third-level system will allow students to earn a university degree outside of the CAO points system.
From September 2023, there will be 23 new degree courses across healthcare, enterprise, ICT and creative sectors in Further Education institutions. Students can then progress to a Higher Education institution to finish their education.
Simon Harris Minister for Further and Higher Education confirmed the new plan today, which will benefit students across the county. Mr Harris told RTE's Morning Ireland that the new third-level system will see a "historic change" for a wide range of Leaving Cert students by offering them more options.
“You can start a degree program in a College of Further Education, do a year or two there, and then automatically be guaranteed that you can complete the degree in a university.
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"This works for the student who might have made a great nurse but wasn’t good at rote learning and currently has to go to the UK to get the degree, we need to stop that."
Minister Harris added that the courses will also benefit students who are "a little older in life" and who want to go back to their local college. He added that the CAO points system doesn't work for many young people in Ireland.
"It caps the potential of too many people in terms of defining their future prospects around the points race. It’s only a start, it’s about 500 places, but it is an important start."
Minister Harris described it as the "single biggest transformation to education in decades". He confirmed that student grants will still "work in the same way" for these courses, and that students will be able to access university facilities from day one.
The 23 new courses are being provided by SOLAS and the National Tertiary Office (NTO). The NTO's online portal is open today and more info click here.
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