From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Higher education in Ireland is provided mainly by universities, institutes of technology and colleges of education. In addition, a number of other third-level institutions provide specialist education in such fields as art and design, medicine, business studies, rural development, theology, music and law.
Applications for entry to undergraduate courses in universities, colleges of education, institutes of technology and some other institutes of higher education, are processed by the Central Applications Office (CAO). The aim of the system is to process applications centrally and to deal with them in an efficient and fair manner. The participating institutions retain the function of making decisions on admissions.
The area of further education covers education and training which occurs after second-level schooling, but which is not part of the third-level system. There are number of providers of further and adult education and training and a wide variety of schools, organisations and institutions are involved in the delivery of continuing education and training for young school leavers and adults.
The main provider of further and adult education and training are the education and training boards (ETBs).
ETBs are statutory education authorities which have responsibility for education and training, youth work and a range of other statutory functions. ETBs manage and operate second-level schools, further education colleges, pilot community national schools and a range of adult and further education centres delivering education and training programmes.
