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What is the CAO?

The Central Applications Office.

You apply for almost all full-time undergraduate courses (Higher Certificates (Level 6), Ordinary Bachelors degrees (Level 7) and Honours Bachelors degrees (Level 8)) in the universities and Institutes of Technology through the Central Applications Office (CAO).

The higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland have delegated to CAO the task of processing centrally, applications to their first year undergraduate courses.

The participating institutions retain the function of making decisions on admissions.
CAO is required to deal with applications in an efficient and fair manner.
CAO is a not-for-profit company registered in Ireland

Contact Details:

Central Applications Office
Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway, Ireland
Tel. +353-(0)91-509800   Fax +353-(0)91-562344

Decisions on offers of places are normally made in August and September, after the results of the Leaving Certificate have come out.

There is no central applications body for Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. Students must apply directly to the individual colleges.

A student must also have the particular academic entry requirements (also called matriculation requirements) for the course he/she wants to take.

Rules

Students who have taken the Leaving Certificate examination are allocated points for the results they get in their six best subjects, at a single sitting of the Leaving Certificate. The points awarded depend on the level of achievement in the subject. The number of entry-level points needed for any course depends on the number of places and the number of applicants for those places so the entry level varies from year to year. Higher points are awarded for Higher-Level papers than for Ordinary-Level papers. See what points were required for admission to courses in previous years here.

Academic entry requirements for universities

The minimum entry requirement for the University of Limerick and the universities that are part of the National University of Ireland (NUI) is six subjects, including English, Irish and a third language. In two of these subjects, students must have achieved Grade C at Higher Level.

For Trinity College Dublin, students need a minimum of six subjects, with Grade C on three Higher-Level papers and a pass in English, maths and another language.

All students applying for courses in Dublin City University must have six Leaving Certificate subjects, with a Grade C on two Higher-Level papers and a pass in maths and either English or Irish.

Check the Irish universities' websites here

Entry requirements for Level 6, 7 and 8 courses in institutes of technology

Students generally require a minimum of Grade C in two subjects at Higher Level and Grade D in four other subjects, including maths and Irish/English, for level 8 (Honours Degree) courses and five Grade Ds, including maths and Irish/English, for level 6 and 7 (Higher Certificate and Ordinary Degree) courses. Find out more about the institutes of technology

2009 Points required for Level 8 Courses

2009 Points required for Level 7/ 6 Courses

2009 Points required for Mature Code Nursing / Midwifery Courses

2009 List for Graduate Medicine cut-offs

Entry requirements for colleges of education

Colleges of education require a minimum of three Grade Cs on Higher-Level papers, including Irish, and three grade Ds, including maths and English.

PLC Courses

Places on PLC courses are not allocated on the basis of points, but applicants must be of Leaving Certificate standard. Most colleges interview candidates to determine their suitability

Rates

The fee for paper applications is 45 euro. The fee for late paper applications is 90 euro. The fee for online applications is 35 euro and the fee for late online applications is 70 euro. The "Change of Mind" facility (this allows you to change your course choices) is free.

How to apply

For participating higher education institutions, application can be made on-line through the CAO. You should apply directly to the HEI (not through the CAO) in the following cases:

• Postgraduate courses.
• Entry to courses at post-initial-year level.
• Short duration, one-term, part-time and occasional courses.
• Re-admission to Dublin City University, Mary Immaculate College, Trinity College and University of Limerick.
• Follow-on courses at the Institutes of Technology.
• Any course not mentioned in the CAO Handbook.
• Certain mature applicants.
• Graduate/mature applicants to the Royal College of Surgeons.

If you are or have been resident outside the EU you may have to apply directly to some HEIs.You need to contact the admissions office of the following HEIs to enquire whether you should apply through the CAO or directly to the HEI. It is very important to check application procedures for courses since errors may be difficult or impossible to rectify.

You should make your enquiries well before the closing date of 1 February, preferably not later than the previous 15 December. If you are applying to any other HEI you should apply through the CAO.

You should make your enquiries well before the closing date of 1 February, preferably not later than the previous 15 December. If you are applying to any other HEI you should apply through the CAO.

Key dates for CAO applications in 2009

January 20 - Closing date for online applications at discounted fee.

February 1 – Closing date for applications

March-April – Interviews and portfolio presentations for restricted courses*

May 1 – Closing date for late applications

July 1 – Final date for changing your mind about course selections on your previously submitted CAO form

Early August  – Round Zero offers are made by the CAO (for mature candidates, candidates who deferred places, reserved places etc.)

Early August + 1 week  – Closing date for acceptance of Round Zero offers

Mid August  – Leaving Certificate results come out

Mid August + 1 week  – Round One offers are made by the CAO 

End August  – Closing date for acceptance of Round One offers

Early September  – Round Two offers are made by the CAO

End September – Closing date for acceptance of Round Two offers

*Some courses are restricted application courses. Such courses have early assessment procedures (sometimes as early as February) and must be mentioned in your CAO application in time for the relevant Higher Education Institution (HEI) to arrange the procedure. This means that you cannot apply for such courses in a late application. There is a calendar of these tests and interviews for 2008 (pdf)

Courtesy of www.oasis.gov.ie