438. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students expected to enrol in Cork universities in September. [54165/26]

My Department does not currently produce specific projections regarding third level enrolments, by county or by Higher Education Institution. Further information regarding projections for higher education enrolment is available here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/projections/?referrer=http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/projections/projections-of-demand-for-full-time-third-level-education-2018-2040.pdf

The Higher Education Authority statistics section collects and publishes student enrolment data for the Higher Education Sector. The new entrant data for Universities MTU and UCC are in the table below, rounded to the nearest 5 (or multiple) as per the HEA data protection policy.

Trends in new entrant enrolments are influenced by a range of factors, including demographic growth in the traditional higher education age cohort, learner demand, and the availability of funded places. In recent years, the Government has made significant investments to expand higher education capacity, including the provision of additional places in priority healthcare disciplines such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, therapies and other health and social care professions.

Alongside these targeted healthcare expansions, investment has also supported the development and growth of National Tertiary Office (NTO) pathways, which provide alternative routes into higher education outside the traditional CAO system and create additional opportunities for learners to progress from further education to higher education. These measures are increasing participation opportunities across the higher education sector and have assisted institutions in accommodating growing demand for places.