The total mentions of veterinary medicine courses in this year’s Central Applications Office (CAO) has increased by 198% since last year. In all, 2,692 students mentioned it in their application in 2026 compared to 902 last year.
There has also been a 75% increase in students selecting veterinary medicine as their first preference. For 2026, 1,082 students selected it as their first preference compared to 618 last year.
For the first time, students will be able to study veterinary medicine outside of Dublin due to the development of two new programmes.
There are now 40 new places in South East Technological University and another 40 places in Atlantic Technological University, but the demand remains much higher than the number of spots available.
Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless spoke to Irish Country Living about what the increase in preferences means.
“The surge in CAO interest in veterinary medicine this year reflects both growing demand and the new opportunities now opening up for students with the expansion of 80 additional places annually through the development of two new programmes.
“For the first time, veterinary degrees will be available outside Dublin at ATU and SETU, allowing more students to study closer to home while benefiting from modern higher-education facilities and practical training through partnerships with Mountbellew and Kildalton Agricultural Colleges, both of whom operate working farms.
“A core aim of this expansion is to strengthen the domestic supply of vets for farms and the wider agricultural sector at a time of recognised skills pressures.”
Minister for higher and further education, James Lawless.
Minister Lawless said his department has worked closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to put these programmes in place, so that training capacity matches Ireland’s needs in this critical profession.
“These programmes are further supported by substantial capital investment in regional infrastructure from our departments. This investment is creating high quality regional pathways and helping build a sustainable veterinary pipeline for the future, allowing more opportunities for students across the regions to study veterinary medicine here in Ireland,” he concluded.
Decline in agriculture
Surprisingly, agricultural science has seen a 10% decline in the number of students selecting it as their first choice, with 303 first preferences for 2026, compared to 337 in 2025.
However, the number of total mentions is up 15% with 1,926 total mentions this year, compared to 1,668 last year.
Taken overall that means the number of students with agricultural science courses selected across the CAO applications has increased.
The total mentions of veterinary medicine courses in this year’s Central Applications Office (CAO) has increased by 198% since last year. In all, 2,692 students mentioned it in their application in 2026 compared to 902 last year.
There has also been a 75% increase in students selecting veterinary medicine as their first preference. For 2026, 1,082 students selected it as their first preference compared to 618 last year.
For the first time, students will be able to study veterinary medicine outside of Dublin due to the development of two new programmes.
There are now 40 new places in South East Technological University and another 40 places in Atlantic Technological University, but the demand remains much higher than the number of spots available.
Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless spoke to Irish Country Living about what the increase in preferences means.
“The surge in CAO interest in veterinary medicine this year reflects both growing demand and the new opportunities now opening up for students with the expansion of 80 additional places annually through the development of two new programmes.
“For the first time, veterinary degrees will be available outside Dublin at ATU and SETU, allowing more students to study closer to home while benefiting from modern higher-education facilities and practical training through partnerships with Mountbellew and Kildalton Agricultural Colleges, both of whom operate working farms.
“A core aim of this expansion is to strengthen the domestic supply of vets for farms and the wider agricultural sector at a time of recognised skills pressures.”
Minister for higher and further education, James Lawless.
Minister Lawless said his department has worked closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to put these programmes in place, so that training capacity matches Ireland’s needs in this critical profession.
“These programmes are further supported by substantial capital investment in regional infrastructure from our departments. This investment is creating high quality regional pathways and helping build a sustainable veterinary pipeline for the future, allowing more opportunities for students across the regions to study veterinary medicine here in Ireland,” he concluded.
Decline in agriculture
Surprisingly, agricultural science has seen a 10% decline in the number of students selecting it as their first choice, with 303 first preferences for 2026, compared to 337 in 2025.
However, the number of total mentions is up 15% with 1,926 total mentions this year, compared to 1,668 last year.
Taken overall that means the number of students with agricultural science courses selected across the CAO applications has increased.
SHARING OPTIONS