The number of Leaving Cert students choosing agriculture as their first preference course to study in college is up 16% on 2022, according to the Central Applications Office (CAO). The CAO points required to study agricultural science for level eight courses remain high with the entrance requirement for the University College Cork (UCC) course set at 496 points, University of Galway at 423, University College Dublin (UCD) at 400 and South East Technological University (Waterford) at 382.

The figures come as the CAO made offers to 57,980 CAO higher and further education applicants on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, there was a 17% decline in the number of students choosing veterinary as their first preference college course this year.

However, the CAO points required for undergraduate entry to veterinary medicine at UCD still remain high for 2023, at 589. The points for undergraduate entry to veterinary nursing at UCD stand at 518.

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