THE VAST majority of university students opt for the college which is closest to their home.
Figures compiled by the Higher Education Authority show that some 64 per cent of all UCC students come from Cork while more than 50 per cent of UCD students are from Dublin.
Surprisingly, only 26 per cent of students at the University of Limerick come from the county. UL attracts more than 1,000 students from both Cork and Clare.
The figures reflect the number of Irish students in full-time university courses in 2006-07.
At TCD, some 51 per cent of students (5,675) are from Dublin. Trinity also draws bigger numbers from Kildare (736); Meath (506); and Cork (273).
In UCD more than 7,000 students come from Dublin. Other students are drawn mainly from Wicklow (880), Kildare (585), Wexford (578) and Meath (504).
The figures are as follows for other colleges:
UCC:Cork 7,965 (64%); Kerry 1,196; Tipperary 740; Waterford 654; Limerick 624.
NUI Galway:Galway 4,007 (38%); Mayo 1,187; Clare 723; Donegal 530; Sligo 504
NUI Maynooth:Dublin 1,455 (28%); Kildare 1,024 (20%); Meath 461; Westmeath 209; Louth 201
DCU:Dublin 2,714 (49%); Meath 433; Kildare 313; Louth 231; Wexford 138.
UL:Limerick 2,146 (26%); Cork 1,071; Clare 1,036; Tipp 783; Kerry 660.
In recent years, the university sector has invested in major marketing campaigns to attract students. This is because the supply of college places greatly outstrips the number of students seeking college places.
With intense competition for students, there have been tensions between some universities which do not want to see other colleges marketing in their natural hinterland.
The latest figures show that proximity to home, rather than the tradition or profile of a university, is the key factor in college choice among students.
The Republic is unusual because a large number of students continue to live at home with their parents/guardians during their third-level education.
