There are calls for third-level institutions to extend their course registration cut-off dates.
It comes after a 19-year-old won her case against the State Examinations Commission over its appeals process.
Rebecca Carter was unable to start her chosen course three weeks ago because of a totting up error on one of her exams.
A High Court Judge yesterday ordered the SEC to determine her appeal by this Friday instead of mid-October, to allow her to start college next week.
Former President of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, Betty McLoughlin, said universities and colleges need to allow time for the process to be completed.
Ms McLoughlin said: "The simplest thing, in my opinion, that would have to move would be that the third-level system would wait, would not close off the entrants into their courses until the process has taken place.
"Because I do know the absolute focus when they are doing this process has to be correcting every single error that might have happened through the process of the correcting."
