(opens in a new window)[1] Based on comparable courses offered across Irish HE institutions 

Business and the Economy

The trend shows that business and the economy-related degrees have the strongest upward movement with (opens in a new window)Commerce (DN650) at 505, (opens in a new window)Business and Law (DN610) at 529, Economics & Finance (DN670) at 589, and(opens in a new window) Actuarial & Finance Studies (DN230) at 577, all up while (opens in a new window)Commerce International (DN660) remains at 510 points.

Law

(opens in a new window)Law (DN600) with 125 places now provides the pathways to combination degrees with languages, arts, humanities and social sciences. Under the new system, points are 522 for 2017. In 2016, points were 525.

STEM

Given the year-on-year surge in points for STEM degrees over the past six years, it is not unexpected that points in these areas have dipped. (opens in a new window)Engineering (DN150) at 499 and Computer Science (DN201) at 477 are both slightly down while Science (DN200) stayed at 510 points. All three remain the highest point entry for their degrees across the Irish universities. It is worth noting that Engineering, which takes in circa 250 students, required a minimum HC3 in the old LC system (55-59%) and under the new points, requires a minimum H4 (60-70%). 

Healthcare

As expected, points for Medicine (which includes the HPAT), are up. Other healthcare courses such as Physiotherapy (DN420) and related degrees, such as (opens in a new window)Health & Performance Science (DN425), are also up. (opens in a new window)Radiography (DN420) increased the number of places on the degree by 40 to 97, in response to the demand from the health sector, and consequently, points have fallen from 525 (in 2016) to 509 this year. There has also been a small increase in the number of nursing places and points across these degrees have fallen under the new system.

Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Although first preferences for the (opens in a new window)BA (DN500), which has over 1,200 students accessing 24 subjects, was in line with applications in 2016, the points in round 1 have increased from 310 (final round 2016) to 326.  Single major (opens in a new window)Economics (DN510) has fallen from 495 to 488 with the number of places increasing by 75% from 20 to 35.

Veterinary

This year, applicants for (opens in a new window)Veterinary Medicine (DN300) were required to demonstrate 60 hours experience in animal handling, and by the 1 July deadline, first preferences were down. Last year, points were at 565 and under the new system points are at 564. (opens in a new window)Veterinary Nursing (DN310) is at 467 (2016: 465).

Agriculture and Food

UCD offers three broad agri degrees, which lead into specialisations in more senior years. Under the new points system, two of these degrees, (opens in a new window)Agricultural Science (DN250) and (opens in a new window)Agri Environmental Sciences (DN253), have dipped in points this year, while (opens in a new window)Dairy Business (DN252) has risen. These three degrees take circa 320 first years each year. Points for both (opens in a new window)Food Science (DN261) and (opens in a new window)Human Nutrition (DN262) have fallen.

Built environment

(opens in a new window)Architecture (DN100), which climbed 20 points to 510 last year, is at 492 under the new system.  Responding to demand, the number of places has been increasing and is now at 64.

Registrar and Deputy President of University College Dublin, Professor Mark Rogers said: "We continue to attract the best and brightest students into UCD, with many of our courses commanding the highest points in the country. 

"The introduction of the new CAO points scheme has progressed as expected.  We sought to encourage students to stretch themselves in taking higher papers, and the provision of points for the H7 grade has increased the uptake of students taking subjects at higher level without apparent impact on the entry to courses.

UCD has led in the expansion of broader entry routes over the past decade and now has 39 (down from over 90) undergraduate entry routes. It is clear that students are attracted to the flexibility and choice such routes provide. They are free to specialise at a later stage in their degrees when they have more experience and more knowledge of subjects."