Thousands of students have been offered places on third-level courses in the first round of this year's CAO offers.
There has been a strong increase in interest in science courses, with the points requirement for arts-related degrees also rising.
Points for general science degrees are up across the board, most strongly and significantly at UCD.
However, there has been a noted drop in demand for construction-related courses.
This year's CAO figures confirm a trend that began last year, which reflects the changed economic situation.
Interest in construction-related courses has fallen considerably, with points for courses such as architecture and civil engineering substantially down.
The points requirement for law degrees has also dropped significantly.
Despite widely publicised cuts in teacher numbers, teaching is still a popular choice among CAO applicants with points for all the main teaching courses up again this year.
