We hear a lot these days about mature students gaining access to higher education, but the reality is less rosy than may at first appear.

According to a survey by Anne Jordan, manager of WIT's Educational Development Centre, up to 600 mature students were registered on access last year, but only one quarter of them actually went on to third level.

Mature-access students accounted for only one-half of 1 per cent of students entering higher-education courses.

There are about 20 "third-level access" courses in the State, but in most cases there's no guarantee that students who have successfully completed them will gain access to higher education, Jordan says. Some of the courses are geared to first-year university level, while others operate at Leaving Cert level. An international conference in Dublin Castle on Wednesday, May 24th, focuses on widening participation in third-level education. The keynote speaker is Prof Jarlath Ronayne, president of Australia's University of Victoria, who will discuss how his university has adapted to meet the educational needs of its changing college population. UU's Prof Bob Osborne, Maureen Gaffney, chairperson of the NESF, and the HEA's Dr Don Thornhill will also address the conference.

For details, contact WIT's Educational Development Centre (tel: (051) 302271).