Leaving Certificate students who do not receive enough points for their hoped-for courses will be given a new pathway to third level qualifications.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris has launched the new system, which is intended to help students continue in education outside of the traditional CAO process.
Under existing rules, acceptance onto third level education courses is largely dominated by the Leaving Certificate points race.
However, Mr Harris has announced new plans which, from September, will allow students to enrol in one of 23 courses without the need to reach specific point levels.
The courses are focused on healthcare, enterprise, ICT and creative sectors.
In a statement, Mr Harris said it is the "single biggest transformation to education in decades".
He said that as the "points system has not worked for many of our young people", 23 degree courses outside the points system will be available.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Harris earlier said that additional options at third level will allow for around 500 places outside the CAO process.
He said it was an "important start" and added that until now the system had capped the potential of too many people in terms of "defining their future prospects" around the points race.
"So, you can start a degree programme in a college of further education, do a year or two there and then be automatically guaranteed that you can complete the degree in a university. This works in many ways," he said.
"It works for the student who might have made a great nurse but was not good at rote learning. Who currently is maybe having to go to the UK to get their degree. We need to stop that," Mr Harris added.
He said it could also appeal to the older person who wants to go back to college but can not travel away to a big city but now has the option to study locally in their area.
'A further opening of opportunity' - Foley
Minister for Education Norma Foley has said that the move is a very innovative step to give students equality of education and opportunity.
She said that students who wish to pursue further education should be accommodated along whatever pathway they choose.
"This is an ambition project, a further opening up of opportunity and it is my ambition that it will be rolled further," she said.
Information about the 23 different courses are available on the National Tertiary Office's website, and will also include a call for the development of additional programmes by the end of the year.
Director of the National Tertiary Office Dr Fiona Maloney said that the new and supported pathways through further and higher education "help students achieve their career goals and offer several advantages, including local availability of courses with guaranteed progression and the removal of geographical and financial barriers".
Additional reporting Cathy Halloran
