Donegal students’ fears over CAO choices, housing availability, emigration and AI

Donegal students are not optimistic about a future in their home county, with weak job prospects and high living costs driving many to emigrate after college, a study has revealed.

Studyclix, Ireland’s most popular teaching and learning tool, is calling on the government to better resource essential career guidance after a nationwide Studyclix survey of 1,300 sixth-year students revealed that many are failing to get sufficient one-on-one time with their guidance counsellor, while four in 10 say they are unsure whether their CAO choices are right for them.

An estimated 60,000 sixth-year students will have submitted their Central Applications Office (CAO) applications to undergraduate courses by tomorrow, Wednesday, February 6, underlining the pressure on students to make key choices on their learning and career paths.

Luke Saunders, a former secondary school teacher and co-founder of Studyclix, believes the survey results showing the level of uncertainty in young people are “no surprise” given cuts to guidance counsellor hours in recent years. The survey also highlighted that some students are turning to private guidance counsellors due to the lack of support in school.

Housing and cost of living
The Studyclix survey revealed a lack of optimism among students that the housing crisis will alleviate in the coming years, with two-thirds (66%) saying they do not believe they will be able to afford a house in their home county when they start work.

The survey also found that students are factoring housing availability into their plans for third-level education, with one in three (34%) reporting that rent, and the cost-of-living are major factors in where they choose to attend university. Indeed, these concerns are more acute for students from rural counties such as Clare (52%) and Waterford (56%).
More than half (55%), meanwhile, say that they plan to live at home while attending third-level education. The figure is higher in counties Dublin (84%), Cork (67%) and Limerick (56%). However, in Donegal, just 17% say that they plan to remain at home during their college years.

“The survey results indicate that young people are disillusioned about the prospect of owning their own home in their home county when they start work," Mr Saunders said. "The national figure is 66% but 47% in Donegal. Interestingly, when we look at the data from the cities, students become even more pessimistic with just 4% of Dublin students and 0% of Galway students feeling they will be able to afford a home.

“Living in Sligo, I am aware of the growing popularity of the Atlantic Technological University where more and more students from the Midlands, the West of Ireland, and elsewhere, are commuting into while continuing to live at home. There is also a growing trend of city students moving to regional colleges where there’s a greater availability of accommodation.”

Emigration
More than half (54%) of sixth-year students surveyed said that they were or highly likely to emigrate after finishing university. This figure was highest in Waterford (70%), Louth (65%), Donegal (64%) and Mayo (61%). Donegal’s youth are not optimistic about a future at home, with housing, jobs, and emigration driving key decisions.

Mr Saunders said: “While the survey question does not ask respondents to account for the length of time for which they plan to emigrate after finishing university, it’s interesting that more than half plan to spend at least some time abroad to begin their professional careers. The above-average figures for rural counties highlight the need to invest in regional development and better resource third-level institutions outside of the biggest cities, to ensure that students can aspire to remain in their local community if they wish.”

Apprenticeships
The survey highlights a collective disinterest among sixth-year students in apprenticeships or trades, partly as they are not getting enough information about this important career choice. Just one in 20 respondents (5%) say they are considering apprenticeships or trades. And despite a massive Government push in recent years to promote them, more than four in ten (44%) students say that they haven’t been given enough information about alternatives to university.

Mr Saunders said: “The last government was very vocal about the need for a good supply of skilled tradespeople to maintain a healthy economy, but the survey reveals a failure to engage young people in apprenticeships. Unfortunately, this will have serious implications for not just the housing crisis, but also the prospect of Ireland meeting its home retrofitting and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets set out in the Climate Action Plan.”

Guidance counsellors
Leaving Cert students are struggling to get adequate one-to-one time with their guidance counsellor, according to the Studyclix survey, with six in ten (60%) reporting having only one meeting with their guidance counsellor since beginning sixth year. Almost one in five (18%) said that they have either had no meeting with their guidance counsellor or met them only in a group setting.

With four in 10 (40%) saying that they are unsure if they’re making the right choice on their CAO form, uncertainty is driving some to pursue alternative options. More than one in six (15%) said that they have worked with a private guidance counsellor outside of school to help them decide on their choices on the CAO form.

Mr Saunders said: “The guidance counsellor is a vital member of school staff, with responsibilities for teaching careers classes, helping students with CAO and UCAS forms, supporting student with mental health issues.

“The fallout of the 2008 economic recession saw dramatic cuts to guidance counsellor hours in many small schools, with guidance counsellors also forced to take on a certain number of subject teaching hours. It’s no surprise that most students feel they do not have enough time with their guidance counsellor.

“This has created a situation in which students are embarking on the wrong college courses, leading to drop outs. The government should invest in giving schools a greater allocation of guidance counsellor time so that counsellors can provide sufficient support to students.”

ChatGPT and other AI tools
Seven in ten (71%) students reported having tried ChatGPT or other AI tools. However, the number who said that they have used ChatGPT or other AI tools for school-related tasks is nearly six in ten (58%), more than double the figure from the 2022 Studyclix survey, with almost one in five (18%) using it for projects that contribute to the overall Leaving Cert grade.

Mr Saunders said: “As a former teacher of agricultural science and geography, both subjects requiring Leaving Cert project work, I am aware of the potential impact of using AI to write student projects. The finding that almost one in five (18%) have already used ChatGPT for project work is, in my view, alarming. It means that it is impossible to guarantee the academic legitimacy of project work done at home.”

The Studyclix Student Survey 2025 offers valuable insights into the challenges faced by school students in Ireland. The results highlight a pessimism among students in terms of their prospects of owning a property in their home county when they start work, a sense of inevitability around emigration after they finish university, and a lack of engagement with apprenticeship programmes.