Written answers
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Department of Education and Science
Third Level Participation
8:00 pm
John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1040: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the participation rate in third level education in each of the years 2003 to 2007 in the border, midland, west, Dublin, mid-east, mid-west, south east and south west regions of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2103/08]
John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1041: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the participation rate in university education in each of the years 2003 to 2007 in the Border, midland, west, Dublin, mid-east, mid-west, south east and south west regions of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2104/08]
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1040 and 1041 together.
Participation rates by county are currently only available from national studies of new entrants to higher education. These have been commissioned by HEA since 1980 in six-yearly intervals. The most recent survey of this type was conducted in 2004. The previous survey of all new entrants to higher education took place in 1998.
The studies produced a national participation rate and participation rates by county. Participation rates by region were not produced. Table 1 below shows the 1998 and 2004 admission rates, and the changes between the two years. This refers to new entrants attending higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Table 2 shows the 2004 county admission rates when adjusted to take into account of attendance at Northern Irish higher education institutions. Table 3 shows the comparable 1998 rates. Counties most affected by adjusting for intake into Northern Irish institutions are Donegal and Monaghan.
| Table 1: Trend in Admission Rates to Higher Education by County 1998-2004 | |||
| County | Rate in 2004% | Rate in 1998 % | Change in Rate 1998-2004 % Points |
| Carlow | 60.3 | 44.4 | 15.9 |
| Cavan | 52.5 | 45.3 | 7.2 |
| Clare | 59.3 | 50.0 | 9.3 |
| Cork | 58.1 | 48.9 | 9.2 |
| Donegal | 46.3 | 35.1 | 11.2 |
| Dublin | 50.8 | 37.7 | 13.1 |
| Galway | 67.4 | 56.7 | 10.7 |
| Kerry | 67.0 | 52.7 | 14.3 |
| Kildare | 54.0 | 41.1 | 12.9 |
| Kilkenny | 51.1 | 40.9 | 10.2 |
| Laois | 52.2 | 38.5 | 13.7 |
| Leitrim | 64.2 | 52.8 | 11.4 |
| Limerick | 53.2 | 50.3 | 2.9 |
| Longford | 60.3 | 49.1 | 11.2 |
| Louth | 53.9 | 42.6 | 11.3 |
| Mayo | 66.8 | 55.7 | 11.1 |
| Meath | 60.7 | 45.4 | 15.3 |
| Monaghan | 44.5 | 40.7 | 3.8 |
| Offaly | 47.1 | 37.8 | 9.3 |
| Roscommon | 57.8 | 50.2 | 7.6 |
| Sligo | 70.5 | 55.6 | 14.9 |
| Tipperary | 56.3 | 48.6 | 7.7 |
| Waterford | 48.7 | 41.2 | 7.5 |
| Westmeath | 40.8 | 48.9 | -8.1 |
| Wexford | 54.1 | 43.8 | 10.3 |
| Wicklow | 49.6 | 41.0 | 8.6 |
| Caution is needed in interpreting county admission rates due to the small numbers involved |
| Table 2: 2004 County Admission Rates Incorporating Enrolments in Northern Ireland | ||||
| County | Number of New Entrants | Admission Rate Excluding Students in Northern Colleges (%) | Admission Rate Including Students in Northern Colleges (%) | Changes In Admission Rates |
| Carlow | 459 | 60.3 | 60.5 | 0.1 |
| Cavan | 517 | 52.5 | 54.4 | 1.9 |
| Clare | 999 | 59.3 | 59.4 | 0.1 |
| Cork | 4,064 | 58.1 | 58.1 | 0.1 |
| Donegal | 1,132 | 46.3 | 60.2 | 14.0 |
| Dublin | 7,931 | 50.8 | 50.9 | 0.1 |
| Galway | 2,204 | 67.4 | 67.6 | 0.2 |
| Kerry | 1,428 | 67.0 | 67.0 | 0.0 |
| Kildare | 1,438 | 54 | 54.2 | 0.2 |
| Kilkenny | 721 | 51.1 | 51.3 | 0.1 |
| Laois | 524 | 52.2 | 52.2 | — |
| Leitrim | 287 | 64.2 | 65.4 | 1.2 |
| Limerick | 1,488 | 53.2 | 53.3 | 0.1 |
| Longford | 334 | 60.3 | 60.8 | 0.5 |
| Louth | 875 | 53.9 | 56.9 | 3.1 |
| Mayo | 1,425 | 66.8 | 67.3 | 0.4 |
| Meath | 1,368 | 60.7 | 61 | 0.3 |
| Monaghan | 440 | 44.5 | 57.6 | 13.1 |
| Offaly | 536 | 47.1 | 47.2 | 0.1 |
| Roscommon | 556 | 57.8 | 58.1 | 0.3 |
| Sligo | 688 | 70.5 | 72.3 | 1.9 |
| Tipperary | 1,357 | 56.3 | 56.4 | 0.1 |
| Waterford | 796 | 48.7 | 48.7 | — |
| Westmeath | 503 | 40.8 | 40.8 | 0.1 |
| Wexford | 1,033 | 54.1 | 54.2 | 0.1 |
| Wicklow | 909 | 49.6 | 49.8 | 0.1 |
| State | 34,012 | 55 | 56.0 | 1.0 |
| Table 3: 1998 Distribution of Higher Education Entrants from the Republic of Ireland who Enrolled in Northern Ireland Colleges with Consequent Changes in Admission Rates by County | ||||
| County | Number of New Entrants to Northern Colleges | Admission Rate Excluding Students in Northern Colleges | Admission Rate Including Students in Northern Colleges | Changes in Admission Rates |
| Carlow | 0 | 0.444 | 0.444 | 0.0 |
| Dublin | 25 | 0.377 | 0.378 | 0.1 |
| Kildare | 8 | 0.411 | 0.414 | 0.3 |
| Kilkenny | 4 | 0.409 | 0.411 | 0.2 |
| Laois | 0 | 0.385 | 0.385 | 0.0 |
| Longford | 1 | 0.491 | 0.492 | 0.1 |
| Louth | 66 | 0.426 | 0.458 | 3.2 |
| Meath | 10 | 0.454 | 0.458 | 0.4 |
| Offaly | 1 | 0.378 | 0.379 | 0.1 |
| Westmeath | 4 | 0.489 | 0.492 | 0.3 |
| Wexford | 7 | 0.438 | 0.441 | 0.3 |
| Wicklow | 5 | 0.41 | 0.413 | 0.3 |
| Clare | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Cork | 7 | 0.489 | 0.49 | 0.1 |
| Kerry | 2 | 0.527 | 0.528 | 0.1 |
| Limerick | 4 | 0.503 | 0.505 | 0.2 |
| Tipperary | 2 | 0.486 | 0.472 | 0.0 |
| Waterford | 1 | 0.412 | 0.412 | 0.0 |
| Galway | 15 | 0.567 | 0.571 | 0.4 |
| Leitrim | 8 | 0.528 | 0.543 | 1.5 |
| Mayo | 7 | 0.557 | 0.56 | 0.3 |
| Roscommon | 5 | 0.502 | 0.506 | 0.4 |
| Sligo | 22 | 0.556 | 0.574 | 1.8 |
| Cavan | 18 | 0.453 | 0.468 | 1.5 |
| Donegal | 315 | 0.351 | 0.456 | 10.5 |
| Monaghan | 98 | 0.407 | 0.488 | 8.1 |
| TOTAL | 636 | 0.444 | 0.453 | 0.9 |
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