CAO Points are likely to hit last year's ''record high'' and random selection is expected to be used for high demand courses.
That's according to internal government records reported in the Irish Times this morning.
Grades required for third-level courses are forecasted to inflate to levels seen last year, according to records released by the Department of Education.
Secretary of the Irish Second-Level Students Union and current Leaving cert student, Eoin Connolly says the news is no great shock. Connolly said that this is not necessarily a surprise and that the article was a little bit misleading as students had notice for a while that this would be coming.
Guidance Counsellor, Brian Mooney reminds students there are other routes than the CAO. Mooney mentioned the fact student can do a PLC course for a year and get in to their desired course through a reserved position. He noted that there are ways and means to get the course you want and it isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world if you don't get the spot through the CAO.
This news comes at a time when students are a month off sitting their exams.
Journalist and Mother of 7, says this magnifies stress on students and that she has heard from parents that they are walking around on egg-shells around their stressed teenagers.
Random selection means that a student who has the necessary points might not get their first choice.
Carl O'Brien Education Editor with Irish Times, believes this new system means marks aren't enough anymore and that it has basically become a Lottery of sorts.
With Government sources saying Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris is planning to seek Cabinet approval shortly for an additional 1,000 college places.
This issue looks set to ease this year but is likely only to affect certain courses.
