The second round of CAO offers due next week should see points falling for some courses because about 10 per cent of places offered yesterday will not be accepted.
The second round could make a difference to medical and paramedical courses, which are now being filled by random selection.
In the second round the colleges will try to offer places to all students at the cut-off point. But it is unclear if all students will be facilitated.
For mid-range degree courses, around 350-400 points, the second round is unlikely to make a dramatic difference because of the large cluster of students with these points.
Some courses may drop by about five points, depending on supply and demand.
The second round could make a real difference for courses at cert and diploma level, where the acceptance rate is lower. As a result points could come down.
Last night, the chairman of the council of directors of the Institutes of Technology, Mr Paul Hannigan, called for information technology to be made a Leaving Cert subject in the proposed redesign of the exam.
Mr Hannigan said: "Because we attract more than half of all school-leavers to the technology sector, we have a very strong sense of student trends.
"What is apparent this year is the continued failure to increase applications for computer-based courses.
"These have been designed specifically to address the needs of the economy working hand-in-hand with the industry at national and regional levels.
"We can deliver graduates that can enter highly-paid employment but the take-up is worryingly slow.
"I believe introducing information technology as a Leaving Cert course, thereby giving students a taste and hopefully an appetite for the subject, could address this issue before they make long-term career choices," he said.
Mr Hannigan added: "This year, as usual, there will be students who have not accumulated the points they require for their chosen courses.
"These students should be aware of the 'ladder' system of awards that we have at the Institutes of Technology."
This system means that a student can progress through the IoT system, avoiding the stressful frustration around CAO time.
Instead of wasting an entire year trying to get more points (which indirectly drives up the point system overall), they can have the whole spectrum of IoT possibilities opened up to them.
Last night, the Institution of Engineers of Ireland welcomed the general trend of an increase in demand for science courses.
However, while the increase in demand for such courses is welcomed, Ms Ita McGuigan, manager of the IEI's Science, Technology & Engineering Programme for Schools (STEPS) believes there is no room for complacency.
"The IEI is still very concerned about this year's high failure rates in both higher- and lower-level maths and science subjects," she said.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland has urged students not to panic if they have not been offered one of their choices in the first round of CAO offers.
Mr Paddy Healy, president of the union said: "Students should not panic if they have not yet received an offer.
"There is another round of offers to come and there are also various options open to them outside the CAO system and also vacancies on some courses."
He added that Post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses offer a diverse range of disciplines, including everything from horticulture to heritage studies.
