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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Universities to halve points needed from HPAT assessment to study medicine
Universities are significantly reducing the importance of the health professions admission test (HPAT) required for studying medicine, refocusing instead on Leaving Cert results. The changes, which halves the HPAT assessment from 300 to 150 points, will be introduced from 2027. Leaving Cert scores above 550 will also no longer be moderated. This means that the maximum combined points for medicine will be 775, made up of 625 Leaving Cert points, and 150 HPAT points. This is down from the current maximum of 865 points, made up of 565 Leaving Cert points and 300 HPAT points. The HPAT was first introduced in 2009 in light of concerns that entry to medicine was being restricted to 'top' Leaving Cert performers, effectively excluding students who may have the necessary interpersonal skills and empathy making them ideal doctors. While it was originally intended to help broaden access to the study of medicine in Ireland, in recent years, the HPAT has faced criticism. A number of private operators now offer preparation courses, which can cost as much as €675 for a 10-week course. However, universities now say that the Leaving Cert results have proven to be a "stronger predictor" of performance in medical degree programmes. They also point to the increased number of medical places, as well as Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) and Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) schemes, which they say have resulted in "broader and more diverse cohorts of medical students". By 2026, more than 200 extra places will be available across all undergrad medicine programmes, including through a new programme opening at the University of Limerick. Universities also point to the revised Leaving Certificate grading scale and points scale introduced in 2017, which they say has resulted in significant changes in overall points profiles across the Leaving Certificate cohort. The last data from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) indicates that a very small proportion of disadvantaged students study medicine. It found in 2020 just under 4% of graduates came from a 'disadvantaged' background, compared to 35% who come from 'affluent' backgrounds. The incoming changes will apply to all Irish and EU students seeking entry to undergraduate medicine programmes from 2027. Students will still be required to sit the HPAT in the same year as entry to the medicine course. Read More Beyond the exam hall: Reclaiming the purpose of Irish education
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Hpat: doctoring the sytem
The Health Professions Admission Test, or Hpat, was introduced in 2009 to broaden access to medical school by testing non-academic skills such as problem-solving. It was a variation of similar tests pioneered in Australia and had the laudable goals of not only producing better doctors but also leveling the playing field between those who could afford private schools and additional tuition and those who could not. Its creators, the Australian Council for Educational Research, claimed that it was neither possible nor worthwhile to study for the exam. However, they had not reckoned with Irish parents and the grind culture that has taken hold since the establishment of the first 'grind schools' in the 1970s. Middle class families continue to find new ways to game the CAO system. Hpat preparatory courses cost up to € 800 and would appear to deliver. Medical faculties report that most students who repeat the exam improve their score and a significant number who gain places do so on the basis of a repeated Hpat. The question as to whether the introduction of the test actually produced better doctors is hard to answer but is clear that the pendulum has swung back in favour of better-off applicants, if it ever truly swung away from them. Over a third of medical students are now from affluent backgrounds, according to the Higher Education Authority. This compares with 18 per cent for the student body as a whole. READ MORE Several medical schools now want to reduce the weight attached to the Hpat, which can add 300 points to a candidate's Leaving Cert result, although the average is near half that. Any changes will need to be signed off by their respective universities' academic councils and the Department of Education will no doubt have something to say. The proposal is worthy of serious consideration. The system as currently designed is not delivering as expected. However, any downgrading of the Hpat should be accompanied by alternative measures to ensure that students from less affluent backgrounds are fairly represented.
RTÉ News
03-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Upskilling iniative Springboard opens 2025 applications
Dr Vivienne Patterson, Higher Education Authority, outlines how Springboard courses can boost people's careers as applications open for its 2025 programme.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
University of Limerick proposes moving school of medicine to Dunnes Stores site
University of Limerick is considering moving its school of medicine to a controversial site it bought in Limerick city centre which it later admitted 'significantly overpaying' for. The university bought the former Dunnes Stores property at Honan's Quay for more than €8 million in 2019. It later wrote down the value of the site by €3 million in its financial accounts. In a message to staff on Tuesday, acting president Prof Shane Kilcommins said a 'concept proposal' for the possible redevelopment of the Honan's Quay site was discussed. It involves relocating UL's existing school of medicine to a 'fully redeveloped, high-quality facility' to the city-centre site. READ MORE He said the site had the potential to expand its school of medicine, help with the future growth of the city. The university would also explore the potential for State support. The circumstances of the purchase in 2019 sparked controversy at the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee in 2023 amid claims that college staff were unable to provide written records of a valuation for the site. It, along with another botched property deal involving student accommodation and the ensuing controversy, prompted the resignation of its then president and close scrutiny of its financial affairs by the Higher Education Authority. The university has since announced sweeping changes to the culture, corporate governance and property acquisition rules, aimed at restoring trust in the institution after a series of damaging scandals. In a message to staff on Tuesday evening, Prof Kilcommins said a 'concept proposal' for the possible redevelopment of the Honan's Quay site was discussed. It involves relocation UL's existing school of medicine to a 'fully redeveloped, high-quality facility' to the city centre site. He said that given the 'understandable and acknowledged concerns over the acquisition of this site in 2019″, the university's governing authority had been clear that it did not 'expect to see proposals for large scale investments presented for the first time when they are being asked to approve them'. Limited investment has been made in the building which has brought about 20 per cent of the building back into use. Prof Kilcommins said it was an 'inescapable fact that any progress made falls short of UL's initial ambitions for the site'. 'It must also be recognised that the significant redevelopment potential of the site both as a city campus and as a driver of socio-economic regeneration will never be realised by maintaining the status quo,' he said, in his staff message. 'Despite the financial impairment, there is no doubt that Honan's Quay is one of the most strategically located sites in the city and it is incumbent on the university to seriously consider its intentions for the site.' The university, he said, will engage with Limerick City and County Council, the Higher Education Authority and other stakeholders to 'determine the feasibility of securing funding in the context of this proposal or any alternative opportunities for the site.' The university has been tasked by Government with delivering direct entry (undergraduate) medicine, with the first cohort of these students scheduled to commence in September 2026. He added that the university has already committed to part funding the capital costs associated with the expansion of the school of medicine on campus. 'The relocation of the entire school of medicine to the city campus is a larger project however, and for it to be financially feasible a funding application, plus other borrowings, will be required,' he said. 'We are very much at the exploratory stage, and we will take the appropriate steps regarding due diligence and comprehensive stakeholder engagement.'
