Colleges are using the CAO system as a marketing tool to fuel the points race.

That's according to the President of Maynooth University, Professor Philip Nolan, who's calling for a reduction in the number of courses available on the CAO form.

At the moment, there are more than 1,300 courses available to Leaving Cert students who are getting their results on Wednesday.

Professor Philip Nolan says the large number of options results in more prestige around highers points courses, putting pressure on students.

In an effort to reduce the number of options, there are suggestions for broader courses to be introduced for first year students, so that they can get a taste for the subject before going on to specialise.

A task force for the Irish Universities Association is also examining the potential of expanding the bonus points scheme for maths to subjects relevant for the courses students are applying for.

50 thousand students are set to receive their Leaving Cert results this Wednesday.

 Kim Buckley has this report: