There has been a drop in disadvantaged students going on to third-level colleges while on the other hand students from fee-paying schools and affluent areas are dominating the high points University courses.
These results have been published in The Irish Times Feeder Schools 2022 and are thought to be as a result of the return to traditional Leaving Cert exams. The introduction of more generous predicted grades during the pandemic in 2020/21, and the creation of additional college places, resulted in record numbers of students going to college.
