Maynooth University hits record number of applicants as students opt for north Kildare college

The popularity of Maynooth University continues to rise as the north Kildare third level college has received more than 4,000 applications for the first time ever this year.

Founded in 1997, numbers at the college have steadily increased up to the point where there were 4,037 CAO applicants who had applied for Maynooth University to be their first choice college this year, representing a nine per cent increase from just last year.

Much of that is being put down to the introduction of a new curriculum that helps to provide broader entry routes to the college, while also offering the flexibility of being able to explore their options and choose a specialised subject later on.

There has been a rise in courses across the fields of Arts, Law, Business, Biotechnology and Engineering, and President of Maynooth University, Philip Nolan, has said that it marked a significant milestone in their 20th year.

“Maynooth University has recently marked 20 years since its foundation, and this is another significant milestone in this anniversary year. Maynooth has tremendous momentum as an institution, and our success allows us to continue to attract world-class researchers and highly motivated students to the University,” he said.

“Maynooth University has forged a reputation as an innovator in the Irish third level sector and students have responded to our offering with their first preference applications,” added Professor Nolan.