For most of the last decade, "do computer science" was the safe advice. In 2026, the points table has stopped agreeing.
ICT was the only major discipline where CAO applications actually fell this year, down 9%, while total applicant numbers rose to 95,710, 6,402 more than last year. Round One has now delivered the consequence: across 106 comparable ICT courses, points fell by an average of 6.3, with 55 courses down and only 38 up. Against a national average of plus 5.9, that is a 12-point relative decline.
Every major Computer Science degree, ranked
| Course | College | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science (TR033) | Trinity | 519 | 543 | -24 |
| Computer Science (DN201) | UCD | 510 | 542 | -32 |
| Computer Science (DC121) | DCU | 443 | 487 | -44 |
| Computer Science and IT (GY350) | University of Galway | 440 | 440 | 0 |
| Computer Science, Grangegorman (TU856) | TU Dublin | 423 | 443 | -20 |
| Computer Science (CK401) | UCC | 384 | 456 | -72 |
| Computer Science (LM121) | UL | 362 | 382 | -20 |
| Computer Science through Arts (MH601) | Maynooth | 347 | 360 | -13 |
| Computer Science through Science (MH602) | Maynooth | 343 | 352 | -9 |
| Computer Science, Letterkenny (AU361) | ATU | 309 | 307 | +2 |
UCC's 72-point fall is the single biggest drop at any of the seven universities. One caveat worth knowing: UCC's 2025 course ended the season at 424, not 456, its Round 1 cut-off was inflated by first-round demand and then eased. Measured against last year's final points, the fall is closer to 40. Still large, but not 72.
The most dramatic ICT drop of all was Trinity's Computer Science, Linguistics and a Language (TR039), down 138 points from 531 to 393. That is a small, specialised programme where a modest shift in first preferences moves the cut-off a long way, but a fall of that size is still a genuine signal about how students are ranking hybrid computing degrees.
AI and data science didn't escape either
The assumption that the AI label protects a course did not hold up:
- UL Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: -31 (487 → 456)
- DCU Data Science and Artificial Intelligence: -11 (500 → 489)
- UCC Data Science and Artificial Intelligence: -13 (469 → 456)
- Maynooth Data Science: -12 (425 → 413)
- TU Dublin Data Science and AI: -10 (434 → 424)
- ATU Letterkenny Computing and Artificial Intelligence: -53 (371 → 318)
Where computing did go up
The rises cluster in two places: applied, hands-on programmes at technological universities, and anything to do with games.
| Change | Course | College | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +64 | Computing, Dublin (GC435) | Griffith College | 244 | 180 |
| +55 | Software Development, Limerick (US820) | TUS | 307 | 252 |
| +53 | Computing - Applications or Programming, Carlow (SE616) | SETU | 269 | 216 |
| +47 | Cyberpsychology, Letterkenny (AU362) | ATU | 347 | 300 |
| +43 | Computer Engineering, Athlone (US917) | TUS | 303 | 260 |
| +40 | Game Design (DL854) | IADT | 408 | 368 |
| +40 | Software Development with Games Programming, Thurles (US828) | TUS | 270 | 230 |
| +33 | Game Design, Grangegorman (TU984) | TU Dublin | 435 | 402 |
Cyber security is holding steady rather than surging: TUS Computer Networks and Cyber Security rose 25, MTU IT Management and Cybersecurity rose 8, SETU Cyber Crime and IT Security rose 3, but TU Dublin's Secure Networking and Cloud Technologies fell 65.
Is this a sector story or a points story?
Both, and it's worth being honest about the difference.
The points story is straightforward: fewer applicants, same number of seats, lower cut-offs. That is mechanical.
The sector story is more contested. Irish tech employment has been through a visible correction, graduate hiring at the big platforms is not what it was in 2021, and Sixth Years read the same headlines their parents do. Whether that pessimism is well calibrated is a genuinely open question, software still underpins nearly every industry that is hiring, including the engineering and construction sectors whose points rose fastest this year.
What we can say without arguing: for a student who wants computing and has the aptitude, 2026 is the cheapest entry point to a computer science degree in years. UCC Computer Science is 72 points more accessible than it was twelve months ago. DCU's is 44 points more accessible.
For guidance counsellors and parents
Two things worth flagging with next year's group:
- Don't assume the trend continues. A points drop this size often attracts applicants back the following year. The 2027 cohort will be looking at a 384-point UCC entry and drawing their own conclusions.
- Check what "computing" actually means on each course. The gap between Trinity's 519-point CS degree and a 244-point computing programme is not just prestige, it reflects very different mathematical content, entry requirements and graduate destinations. A student choosing on points alone will end up somewhere that doesn't match what they pictured.
Trying to work out whether computing is actually right for you, not just reachable? CourseCompass matches your interests, subjects and results against ~850 Irish courses and shows you where each one leads. Try the free CAO points calculator.
Data and verification. 2026 points are the Central Applications Office's own Round 1 lists for Level 8 and Level 7/6 courses (retrieved 26 August 2026, checksum-verified on two separate downloads). 2025 points are the CAO's published 2025 points charts. All 1,395 courses in the 2026 lists are covered, plus 42 courses listed in 2025 that are not offered this year. Every figure quoted in this article was machine-checked against that dataset. Sampled 2026 and 2025 values were independently confirmed against the entry-points lists published by Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and University of Galway, 42 of 42 matched. Year-on-year change is calculated only where a course was scored on the same basis in both years.