Rise in demand for DCU courses as CAO Change of Mind draws to a close

Significant increase in applications for Marketing, Innovation & Technology, Computer Applications and Humanities Courses

Applications for DCU undergraduate programmes have experienced a significant increase over the CAO Change of Mind period which closed today. Building on increases at the January CAO deadline, overall applications to DCU have increased by a further 11.2% throughout the Change of Mind period, while 1st preference applications have increased by a further 6.2%.

2012 has seen a significant increase in demand for a number of programmes across DCU's four faculties:

• First preference applications to DCU Business School's Marketing, Innovation & Technology programme have increased 18% over the Change of Mind period, building on a three-fold increase in 1st preference demand for places on this programme over the last 3 years. The only course of its kind in Ireland, it offers a solid foundation in marketing while incorporating cutting-edge technology and design in response to the growing demand for expertise in the ICT, Telecommunications and Biotechnology sectors.

• Applications to DCU's core computing degree, Computer Applications, have increased by 33% in the last year, and by over 70% since 2010.

• Contrary to national trends within Humanities, DCU's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences continues to see growth trends in applications. Since March 2012, 1st preference applications to courses such as International Relations, Languages for International Communications, Economics Politics and Law and Contemporary Culture and Society have increased by an average of 30%.

Reflecting on this year's CAO statistics, Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU said,

"I am delighted that students hoping to enter higher education in September are continuing to make DCU's programme offerings their 1st choice preference. The marked increase in interest in programmes directly related to technology and innovation is particularly heartening, given the current demand for these skills within the marketplace".