The Central Applications Office (CAO) has released 2021 application data up to the Change of Course Choices closing date of 1 March showing a large increase in applications for nursing and midwifery courses.

In total 79,176 applications were received by CAO by the 1 February closing date – an increase of 6,203 applicants on the previous year.

There was a significant increase in people wishing to study nursing and midwifery, with 5,951 first preference applications, compared with 4,909 first preference applications in 2020. This marks an increase of 21 per cent year-on-year.

There was also a large increase in applications for medicine with 4,031 first preferences, compared with 3,220 last year, an increase of 25 per cent.

Social and behavioural sciences has also seen an increase with more than 5,800 first preference applications, up 27 per cent on last year.

The data provided at this stage is interim data and is subject to change when late applications are taken into account and when the Change of Mind facility closes on 1 July.