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The Department of Education has confirmed that about a quarter of all CAO applicants this year are submitting Leaving Certificate results from a prior year.
However, it has declined to respond to a query from RTÉ News about whether it plans to introduce special measures to ensure such applicants do not lose out as a result of grade inflation this year.
The 2020 Leaving Certificate results are expected to be significantly higher than in recent years as a result of the calculated grades process.
The department has confirmed that around 10,000 of this year’s CAO applicants are submitting 2019 results.
Another 10,000 are requesting Leaving Cert or other types of results from years before 2019.
Some of these applicants worry that they are now competing at a disadvantage with this year’s students, whose grades will be higher, and who will lose college places as a result.
RTÉ News asked the Department of Education if it planned to address this anomaly.
However, the department has declined to directly answer this question.
In a statement, it said that CAO’s point requirements for higher education programs depended on a number of factors, including the volume of applications, the number of applicants meeting entry requirements, the number of places available, and the qualifications received by the applicants.
He said it was not possible to predict, and that it would not be appropriate for the department to speculate, on the CAO’s point requirements for this year.
The department also reiterated that 1,250 additional places have been created this year in universities and institutes of technology as part of a package of measures to support those who apply to university.
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