Cao Veterinary Medicine Applications surge as 2026 cycle marks 50 years
In a year of rising demand, cao veterinary medicine applications are surging within the broader CAO cycle, which has grown by 6. 5% to 88, 817 applications. The latest figures show veterinary-related choices posting the sharpest gains, while interest in health and business remains strong.
The 2026 cycle also marks 50 years in the CAO’s history, underscoring how dramatically the applicant pool has expanded from its earliest intake. Within the field breakdowns, health remains the leading draw, followed by business and administration, with notable growth across several disciplines tied to clinical and quantitative skills.
Veterinary stands out: mentions on applications are up 96% year-on-year, and first preferences are up 53%. Within the specialist category of veterinary medicine, mentions have climbed 198% and first preferences 75%, highlighting how sharply the field has accelerated inside this application window.
What Happens Next for Cao Veterinary Medicine Applications?
These figures capture a pivotal moment in the cycle and point to a pronounced shift toward animal health disciplines. CAO has indicated the numbers may shift as supporting documents are received and processed. For prospective students tracking cao veterinary medicine applications, the signal is nonetheless clear at this stage: veterinary-related choices have moved to the forefront in a year when overall applications are up.
Where the numbers moved in CAO 2026
Health and business remain high-interest areas, with health first preferences up 17% year-on-year. Several specialist health tracks also recorded large mention totals, while veterinary posted the cycle’s sharpest gains. Selected figures released for this application stage include:
| Field | Mentions (this year) | First preferences (this year) | Change vs last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary | 3, 890 | 1, 443 | Mentions +96%; First preferences +53% |
| Veterinary medicine | — | — | Mentions +198%; First preferences +75% |
| Health (Level 8) | 91, 571 | 16, 872 | First preferences +17% |
| Business & administration | 57, 742 | 9, 495 | Near level with 2025 |
| Arts | 44, 857 | 7, 572 | First preferences +7% |
| Social & behavioral studies | 36, 954 | 5, 861 | First preferences +7% |
| Agriculture | — | 303 | First preferences −10%; Mentions +15% |
| Information & Communication Technologies | — | 3, 265 | First preferences −10%; Mentions −6% |
| Medicine (specialist) | 19, 020 | — | — |
| Nursing & midwifery | 34, 249 | — | — |
| Dentistry | 3, 199 | — | — |
| Pharmacy | 4, 924 | — | — |
Mathematics also features among the popular choices this cycle. In contrast, first preferences for Agriculture and ICT each fell 10%, though Agriculture still registered a 15% rise in overall mentions, and ICT recorded a 6% decline in mentions.
Who is applying — and how the profile is shifting
The overall expansion in applications coincides with a 13% rise in students from outside the EU applying to the CAO, moving from 961 to 1, 083 applicants. International undergraduate fees in Dublin can reach €29, 500 annually, situating the increase in a context of significant cost considerations for non-EU applicants. Mature applicants total 7, 249 at this stage.
Access pathways show mixed movement. Applications for the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) are up 15%, with 13, 870 applicants indicating interest in the scheme. In contrast, the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) has seen a 1. 4% decline, from 8, 224 to 8, 107. The CAO notes these figures remain subject to change once documentation is reviewed. Within this debate, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals director Paul Crone suggested some students from socio-economically challenging backgrounds may feel the system is not working for them.
Viewed together, the profile of demand is unmistakable: health and business continue to anchor overall interest, while veterinary surges to an outsized share of momentum in 2026. That rise is reinforced both in headline veterinary figures and in the specialist veterinary medicine category, which recorded the steepest percentage gains among the detailed fields disclosed so far.
