The State's third-largest university, University College Cork, has developed a strong reputation in recent years for attracting significant levels of research funding.
Despite the recent announcement by NUI Galway that it had succeeded in raising some €100 million in funding, UCC also consistently performs well in this regard.
This means it often eclipses larger universities such as UCD and TCD, particularly in areas such as pharmaceuticals, food and electronics.
But the publication of today's lists reveals another important aspect of the university: of the top 25 schools providing students to the university, the vast majority are Cork-based.
Schools such as Coláiste Choilm, Hewitt College, Coláiste an Spiorad Naomh and Presentation College all send a significant proportion of their students to the university.
The private fee-paying "grind school", Bruce College Cork, also features in the top 10 schools providing students to the university.
This indicates that it will continue to cater for students from the area who can afford to pay its fees of more than €5,000 a year.
However, although its sister college in Dublin was recently taken over by its main rival, the Institute of Education, Bruce Cork will not be affected by the move.
UCC seems to be successfully managing to mix a 160-year history with a constantly developing image as a cutting-edge university. This is due in no small part to its president, Prof Gerry Wrixon.
Prof Wrixon, who is known for his pro-business approach, has been in place at the university since 1999, and is currently seeking to extend his five-year contract.
While it appears likely that he will be successful in this regard, the move has caused controversy among some in the university.
It has also given rise to legal difficulties both with the Higher Education Authority and the Government, some of which remain to be resolved.
There are a few feeder schools from outside Co Cork, but they are located not far from the county.
This indicates that entrance to UCC is strongly - if not exclusively - determined by a school's proximity to the university.