NORTHERN UNIVERSITIES:APPLICATIONS TO Northern universities from school-leavers in the Republic have fallen by 21 per cent, according to the body that handles college admissions.
The numbers of students from the EU and beyond applying to study in Northern Ireland have also fallen dramatically.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, the UK equivalent of the CAO, said just 1,572 applications were made by those with addresses in the South in the year to June 30th. This is down from 1,993 in the previous year.
The figures are reflected in a 4.9 per cent decrease in applications to the two main Northern universities, Queens University Belfast and the University of Ulster, this year.
Applications from those in Britain showed a mixed trend. English applications to Northern universities and colleges rose slightly - up by just 0.8 per cent.
Scottish applications rose by 2.7 per cent, but applications from Wales fell by 8.2 per cent.
Larger falls were recorded in the financially lucrative EU and international sector.
Applications for third-level places from EU students, outside the UK and Republic of Ireland, fell by a dramatic 30.7 per cent. Non-EU applications were down 13.3 per cent.
The admissions service also recorded a 7.6 per cent drop in applications by college hopefuls to institutions in the UK as a whole.
The Northern Ireland examinations board CCEA has launched a helpline for students expecting A-level results today and GCSE results next week. The number is 028-90261260 or e-mail helpline_ at_ccea.org.uk