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The number of Leaving Cert students selecting agriculture as their first preference to study in college is down by 16% this year.
For round one offers agriculture was also down 11% according to the Central Applications Office (CAO). Similarly, veterinary was down 11% as a first preference. For the Level 7/6 courses, agriculture was down 15% in first round offers and 19% as a first choice preference from last year.
The CAO points required to study agricultural science for level eight courses have dropped across the board, with the entry requirement for the University College Cork (UCC) set at 446 points this year compared to 496 in 2023. University of Galway has dropped to 409, University College Dublin stayed the same at 400 and South East Technological University (Waterford) dropped to 379.
One thousand fewer students sat the agricultural science paper for their Leaving Certificate this year compared to 2023.
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