While many are still reeling over their leaving cert results, students across the UK will be nervously opening their envelope  equivalent today that is the A-Levels.

The A-Levels much like the leaving certificate decides the future of many students and whether they will go to their desired university or not.

The results statistics in Northern Ireland reveal that only 32 per cent of students achieved A*-A this year.

Since 2008, entries in Northern Ireland have risen by close to 3,000. This year there were 32,908 entrants compared with 32,582 last year, and 7.7% earned A* this year compared with 8.6 per cent in 2011.

According to statistics, 31.9 per cent took grades A*-A compared with 34.5 per cent last year and 35.9 per cent in 2010. The proportion earning grades A*-E remained static at 98.1 per cent

The Northern Ireland statistics are similar to the rest of the UK with results showing that 26.6% of grades issued this year are A or A*, a fall of 0.4% compared with last year. The overall pass rate at all grades has risen for the 30th successive year, to 98%.

Students are now presently anxiously awaiting the clearing which is similar to the CAO system. Where universities across the UK decide their new students based on the highest grades.

So far as of midnight 357,915 students have been accepted on to university courses this year, however that is a decrease on previous years which would mean unfortunately disappointed for some students across the UK.