According to high-ranking education figures, grade inflation has unjustly negatively affected students who failed to get into their preferred college programmes by necessitating the use of lotteries for high point courses by universities. In the first round of the Central Applications Office (CAO) offers, only slightly more than half of the 83,000 applicants successfully enrolled in their top choice of study. On the other hand, 83% got into one of their top three courses. Nevertheless, universities were forced to implement random selection for more than 20 of the programs due to the challenge of differentiating top-performing students.
Unfortunately, some students, who managed to get the maximum of 625 points, failed to secure a place for courses such as economics and finance at UCD and dental science at Trinity due to the lottery system. Orla Sheils, Vice-Provost of Trinity College Dublin, indicated that the sustained use of this grade inflation had numerous negative impacts. She stated this despite the record-breaking number of student placements they managed to offer due to intake expansion in certain sectors.
According to Sheils, grade inflation put students from Northern Ireland and those overseas at a significant disadvantage as they have to compete on a skewed field, considering that their grades have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. The rise in students reaching or surpassing the required points for distinguished courses has consequently initiated a lottery system for position allocation.
Unnamed senior education figures asserted that it is crucial for the grading to return to normal as soon as possible. In response, Education Minister Norma Foley pledged to lower grade inflation from the subsequent year. According to officials, this might result in a drop of the average grade uplift from 7.5% to 5.5%.
Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of Galway University, emphasised the need for a dialogue among educational institutions and policy makers to address potential unfairness in the future Central Applications Office (CAO) application process, especially when prospective students with lower grades compete with candidates from previous years who secured higher grades. He further expressed concerns about the possibility of lawsuits if students miss out on university offers as a result.
Recent statistics of Leaving Certificate grades from the 2024 cohort highlight an issue of grade inflation, with a remarkable increase in high-grade students. For instance, approximately 1,000 students, or 1.6% of all applicants, have scored 625 points during this year, compared to just over 200 or 0.4% in 2019.
This significant surge since 2019 was instigated by the introduction of teacher-predicted grades and the subsequent decision by the Education Minister to artificially maintain these high grade levels.
Further complications were caused by the late release of Leaving Certificate results, triggering an unforeseen rush for student accommodation. Senior educational figures report that the scarcity of affordable housing has led to many students resorting to long commutes or part-time jobs to cover rent.
Professor Sheils commented that students fortunate to secure accommodation often encounter prohibitive rental costs, compelling them to work excessive hours, negatively impacting their overall student experience.
In contrast, Higher Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan defended the CAO selection process, labelling it as a “fair and equitable” system that has been functioning effectively for a substantial period. On being questioned about relying on a system that incorporates random selection, Mr. O’Donovan responded that while it might not be the best system, it certainly isn’t the worst, and it provides a level playing field for applicants.