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8. Participation in Higher Education

8.1 CAO applicants accepting one or more offer by type of qualification 1994-2004

**Applicants accepting one or more offer**
Year	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Degree & Dip/ Cert.	34,311	32,676	35,061	36,842	37525	36,625	36,627	38,333	37,796	38,175
Degree	16,667	17,021	18,872	20,179	20786	20,934	21,101	23,935	25,275	24,982
Dip/ Cert	17,644	15,655	16,189	16,663	16739	15,691	15,526	14,398	12,521	13,193

Source: Central Applications Office: Board of Directors Reports 2004, 2000 and 1995

8.2 Percentage of CAO applicants accepting one or more offer by type of qualification 1996-2005

**Applicants accepting one or more offer**
Year	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Degree & Dip/ Cert.	34,311	32,676	35,061	36,842	37525	36,625	36,627	38,333	37,796	38,175
% Degree	48.6	52.1	53.8	54.8	55.4	57.2	57.6	62.4	66.9	65.4
% Dip/ Cert	51.4	47.9	46.2	45.2	44.6	42.8	42.4	37.6	33.1	34.6

Source: Central Applications Office: Board of Directors Reports 2004, 2000 and 1995

8.3 Trend in Admission Rates to Higher Education 1980 – 2004

YEAR	1980	1986	1992	1998	2003	2004
%	20	25	36	44	54	55

Note:

Data are for new entrants to Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Ireland who have a permanent address in the Republic of Ireland.

Participation is measured by 'admission rates' rather than by 'enrolment rates'. Admission rates are calculated solely on the basis of the flow of new entrants to higher education divided by the single years of age from which more than seventy-five per cent of the new entrants come. The denominator used for the calculation of admission rates is the average of the number of people aged 17-19 years.

Source: Fitzpatrick Associates Survey of HEI 2004/05, CSO Census of Population 2002, and P. Clancy (2001) 8.4 Admission Rates to Higher Education by County, 2004 (%)

Notes

Caution is needed in interpreting county admission rates due to the small numbers involved.
Data exclude Irish nationals admitted to higher education outside the Republic of Ireland.
County admission rates are calculated by dividing the number of new entrants to higher education (CAO and Non-CAO) with a permanent address in a county by the average of the number of 17-19 year olds in a county.

Excludes 2,004 New Entrants from other countries.

Source: Fitzpatrick Associates Survey of HEI 2004/05 and CSO Census of Population 2002.

8.5 Admission Rates to Higher Education by Dublin Postal District, 2004 (%)

Notes

Data exclude Irish nationals admitted to higher education outside the Republic of Ireland.
Dublin postal district admission rates are calculated by dividing the number of new entrants to higher education (CAO) with a permanent address in a postal district by the average of the number of 17-19 year olds in that postal district.

Source: Analysis of CAO database, CSO Census of Population 2002.

8.6 Number of full time Higher Education students in institutions aided by the Department of Education & Science, by sector.

**Number of full-time Higher Education students in institutions aided by the Department of Education & Science**
	1975/76	1985/86	1995/96	2005/06
Universities	24,522	34,520	55,850	80,801
Institutes of Technology & DIT	6,331	18,953	38,130	52,842
Other Colleges	877	80	863	2,810

Source: Department of Education & Science

8.7 Percentage increase in Higher Education students 1975/76 - 2002/03

**Percentage Increase**
	1975-85	1985-95	1995-02
Ireland	52.2	82.9	41.9
EU15	41.5	49.3	15.8

**Percentage Increase since 1975**
	1975-85	1975-95	1975-02
Ireland	52.2	178.3	294.8
EU15	41.5	111.3	144.7

Source: Eurostat, Education Statistics (UOE)

8.8 Percentage increase in Higher Education Students 1975/76 to 1985/86, 1985/86 to 1995/96 and 1995/96 to 2002/03

**Percentage increase in the number of Higher Education students, 1975/76 to 1985/86, 1985/86 to 1995/96 and 1995/96 to 2002/03**
		Percent Increase							Percent Increase							Percent Increase							% Increase
Percent Increase	EU15	BE	CZ	DK	DE	EE	GR	ES	FR	IE	IT	CY	LV	LT	LU	HU	MT	NL	AT	PL	PT	SI	SK	FI	SE	UK	IS	NO
1975/76-1985/86	42	41	:	33	38	:	81	70	29	52	22	:	:	:	:	:	:	39	78	:	33	:	:	42	:	41	67	:
1985/86-1995/96	49	44	:	33	16	:	81	70	54	83	49	:	:	:	:	:	:	22	38	:	171	:	:	67	43	76	40	101
1995/96-2002/03	16	5	:	21	5	:	71	16	1	42	8	:	:	:	56	:	:	7	-4	:	25	:	:	36	59	26	90	18

Notes

Germany, Slovenia: Data exclude Ph. D. students.

Luxembourg , Cyprus: Most tertiary students study abroad and are not included.

Source: Eurostat, Education Statistics (UOE)

8.9 Annual Growth in Higher Education Students

Annual Growth in the number of students in Higher Education

	EU-25	IE
1998	100	100
1999	106	106
2000	108	112
2001	112	117
2002	116	123

Explanatory note

The annual growth index is calculated by dividing the number of students for the year concerned by the number of students in 1998, and multiplying the result by 100.

Notes

Germany, Slovenia: Ph.D. students are excluded.

Cyprus, Luxembourg: Most students study abroad and are not included.

Source: Eurostat, Education Statistics (UOE

8.10 Female students per 100 male students, 1975/76 - 2002/03

**Female students per 100 male students, 1975/76 - 2002/03**
	EU-25	EU-15	BE	CZ	DK	DE	EE	GR	ES	FR	IE	IT	CY	LV	LT	LU	HU	MT	NL	AT	PL	PT	SI	SK	FI	SE	UK	IS	NO
1975/76	:	69	64	:	87	74	:	58	57	90	53	64	:	:	:	:	:	:	48	62	:	89	:	:	84	:	56	50	:	1975/76
1980/81	:	78	75	:	89	81	:	70	78	102	67	75	:	:	:	:	:	:	65	74	:	96	:	:	88	:	58	100	:	1980/81
1985/86	:	88	48	:	92	82	:	96	96	109	75	86	:	:	:	:	:	:	69	83	:	123	:	:	94	110	83	100	109	1985/86
1990/91	:	94	93	:	104	74	:	101	104	113	84	98	:	:	:	:	:	:	80	84	:	126	:	:	109	117	93	150	113	1990/91
1995/96	:	104	100	:	123	80	:	94	112	122	103	113	:	:	:	100	:	:	90	94	:	130	:	:	112	123	102	133	123	1995/96
1996/97	:	107	102	89	120	84	126	92	112	122	106	117	126	145	145	100	116	:	93	95	:	133	128	101	112	126	107	167	128	1996/97
1997/98	:	109	105	93	125	87	131	100	113	121	112	121	128	143	152	107	117	:	95	97	132	127	123	104	115	129	111	150	131	1997/98
1998/99	113	111	109	99	129	90	137	101	113	119	115	123	127	160	150	107	118	106	97	100	133	127	127	107	117	136	114	164	135	1998/99
1999/00	115	113	109	99	132	93	141	100	112	118	118	125	133	173	150	:	117	114	100	104	135	130	128	102	116	139	117	163	141	1999/00
2000/01	117	114	112	100	130	95	151	105	110	118	121	127	138	162	149	:	121	121	102	108	138	133	128	105	117	144	120	168	146	2000/01
2001/02	119	116	113	105	135	95	159	105	113	121	123	129	121	160	153	:	124	132	103	111	138	133	136	109	118	147	123	172	148	2001/01
2002/03	120	117	114	103	138	98	160	104	113	122	126	129	98	161	150	114	131	132	104	113	137	130	128	113	115	148	127	175	148	2002/03

Notes

Germany, Slovenia: Data exclude Ph.D. students.

Cyprus, Luxembourg: Most students study abroad and are not included.

Source: Eurostat - Education statistics (UOE)

8.11 Proportion of Higher Education Students aged 30 years and over, 2003

Country	EU25	BE	CZ	DK	DE	EE	GR	ES	FR	IE	IT	CY	LV	LT	LU	HU	MT	NL	AT	PL	PT	SI	SK	FI	SE	UK	IS	NO
%	17	11	11	25	20	19	1	13	9	9	12	3	25	15	:	17	18	14	19	10	16	14	10	27	36	35	33	34

Notes

Luxembourg: Most tertiary students study abroad and are not included.

Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia: Data exclude PH.D.

Cyprus: Most tertiary students study abroad and are not included.

Source: Eurostat - Education statistics (UOE)

8.12 Distribution of Students (Higher Education) by field of study, 2003

**Distribution of Higher Education Students by field of study, 2003 (1000s)**
	EU25	BE	CZ	DK	DE	EE	GR	ES	FR	IE	IT	CY	LV	LT	HU	MT	NL	AT	PL	PT	SI	SK	FI	SE	UK	IS	NO
Health and welfare	12	19	13	25	15	10	:	9	:	12	12	4	4	9	7	18	16	9	3	11	7	12	13	16	19	12	18
Social sciences, business and law	34	32	27	24	28	38	:	34	:	24	38	44	53	38	40	37	42	36	45	32	44	28	22	26	29	35	33
Science, mathematics and computing	11	9	10	9	15	10	:	14	:	17	8	13	7	6	7	5	6	12	7	8	5	9	12	10	16	11	12
Engineering, manufacturing and construction	15	12	21	11	15	12	:	18	:	14	16	4	10	20	14	8	10	14	15	21	17	18	27	17	9	7	7
Education	10	14	12	11	7	10	:	8	:	6	6	12	15	15	14	20	14	15	13	12	10	16	5	15	9	20	16
Humanities and arts	13	11	9	17	17	12	:	11	:	22	16	10	7	7	8	11	8	12	9	9	7	6	15	13	18	14	11
Agriculture and veterinary science	2	2	4	2	1	3	:	3	:	2	2	0	2	3	3	0	2	1	2	2	3	4	2	1	1	1	1
services	3	2	4	2	2	7	:	5	:	4	2	14	4	4	7	1	2	2	6	5	7	7	4	2	0	2	3

Notes

EU25, EU15: France is not included.

Germany, Slovenia: Data exclude PH. D.

Cyprus: Most tertiary students study abroad and are not included.

Belgium: Data exclude independent private institutions.

Source: Eurostat - Education statistics (UOE)