CUE has recorded a 49.9 per cent surge in fifth-year university students, rising from 6,682 in 2024 to 10,015 in 2025, the steepest increase among all year-of-study categories. The commission has cautioned that the rise could reflect longer-duration programmes, delayed completion or better data capture, rather than a single clear cause. Academic staffing has grown … Continue reading CUE flags sharp rise in Fifth-Year university students as completion concerns grow