UL students drawn heavily from Munster

Students at the University of Limerick (UL) are drawn heavily from the Munster region.

Students at the University of Limerick (UL) are drawn heavily from the Munster region.

In marked contrast to the situation in Dublin colleges, most of the students come from State schools. Community schools in the general Munster area also send a fair number of their students to UL.

But the numbers of students from the vocational sector going to UL is relatively low, a feature which has been evident in other colleges.

The statistics given on this page are based on the secondary school of origin for first-year undergraduates in UL for the last academic year.

READ MORE

The figures were obtained by The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act.

This is the sixth in the series University: Who Goes Where?

Next week, The Irish Times will publish statistics for the remaining university - NUI Maynooth.

The Jesuit school Crescent College Comprehensive provides most students (53) to UL. This college, unlike other Jesuit schools, is non-fee-paying.

The other schools which feature strongly on the list are: Ard Scoil Iognaid Ris (52); St Munchin's College (36); Laurel Hill Convent (33); Coláiste Muire, Ennis (28); Scoil Carmel (24); and Coláiste Clement (24).

The State's largest grind school, the Dublin-based Institute of Education, provides a total of 20 students to UL.

Surprisingly, Bruce College - another of the largest grind schools - does not feature on the list even though it has a school in Limerick. This could be due to the school being classified in an incorrect way.

UL has about 7,000 undergraduates and a further 1,000 postgraduates. The university has one of the highest drop-out or non-completion rates in the Irish university sector.

However, it also has a much more advanced access programme when compared to many other colleges.

The college is seeking to build its reputation in the research area under its president, Dr Roger Downer.

UL also takes great pride in its sporting facilities. It now boasts an Olympic-size 50-metre swimming pool.