The proliferation of firsts and 2.1s is leading employers to differentiate between graduates based on where they went to college, Brendan Guilfoyle, a professor of maths at IT Tralee and a founding member of the Irish Network for Educational Standards, has warned. The lowest number of 2.1s were at IT Blanchardstown (18.46%), IT Tallaght (24.58%), the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (28.82%), IADT (30.5%) and Griffith College (32.66%), followed by two of the universities: UL (37.15%) and NUIG (37.91%). Graduates of St Nicholas Montessori teacher training college have the best chance of securing a 2.1 (65.82%), followed by DCU (59.72%), UCD (55.28%), Maynooth University (51.68%), IT Sligo (49.93%) and UCC (49.92%). Having trouble viewing the chart? See here>įour of the six HEIs most likely to award 2.1s are universities.
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Students were least likely to secure a first in Carlow College between 2015-17, with only 7.89% taking top marks, followed by the National College of Ireland (11.66%), IT Tralee and IT Sligo (both 12.5%) and Mary Immaculate College of Education (12.69%). Students at Trinity College are more likely to pick up a first than at any other university in the State, with 19.52% getting top marks compared to 19.24% at the University of Limerick, 19.16% at University College Cork, 15.7% at NUI Galway, 15.68% at UCD, 15.35% at Maynooth University and 14.46% at Dublin City University. The trend towards rising grades is most visible in institutes of technology, although the number of firsts have risen in all seven universities, while 2.1s are up in all of the universities except NUI Galway where they have dipped by 4.61%. Having trouble viewing this chart? See here> Meanwhile, the largest jump in 2.1 grades was at IT Tralee, where they rose by 11.47% between 2008-17, followed by DBS, Athlone IT (up 11.73%), Dundalk IT (up 10.16%), and IT Blanchardstown which has since been incorporated into TU Dublin (up 7.01%).
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This was closely followed by Dublin Business School – the largest fee-paying independent college in the State – which awarded first-class honours to 14.84% of students between 2009-11 compared to 26.94% between 2015-17, a rise of 12.10%.ĭBS also awarded a first to 26.94% of its students between 2015-17, with only the Institute of Art, Design & Technology in Dun Laoghaire giving more top grades (26.97%) in the same period.
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IT Tallaght, now part of the Technological University of Dublin (which also includes the former Dublin Institute of Technology and IT Blanchardstown), recorded the highest jump in firsts, which rose from an average of 13.69% between 2008-10 to 26.32% between 2015-17, a leap of 12.63%. Over the same period, the number of 2.1s awarded to students rose by up to 11.47% across 24 of the 30 institutions, with 2.1 grades down by as much as 9.66% in only other six HEIs. But only 9 HEIs recorded a fall in firsts, with the largest drop at just 5.21%. The upward trend has led academics and recruiters to warn that third-level degrees are becoming ubiquitous, with employers struggling to differentiate one first-class honours or 2.1 degree from another in their search for top talent, and extracurricular activities and work experience becoming increasingly important for students.įigures from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) show that the number of firsts rose by as much as 12.63% in 22 of 30 higher education institutions surveyed. FIRST-CLASS HONOURS and 2.1 grades have increased significantly in most Irish universities, institutes of technology and colleges over the last ten years, an analysis by Noteworthy.ie has found.