The CAO opens next week and for Leaving Cert students it marks the official start of their decision-making process as to what they’d like to do after they finish their state exams.
The normal closing date is the 1st February 2018, but late applications will be accepted up to the 1st May along with an increased fee.
If you apply before January 20th 2018 you can avail of a discount and therefore pay only €25.
You can apply online on: www.cao.ie.
Restricted courses, such as medicine will need to be listed on your CAO before the 1st February.
There are 2 lists: a level 8 list and a level 6/7 list.
You can fill out ten choices on your level 8 list and ten choices on your level 6/7 list. They will not impact upon each other; treat them essentially as two separate lists. A high percentage of candidates will receive two offers in August, one from their level 8 list and one from their level 6/7 list.
Once you’ve applied you can change this list and include other courses, even after the 1st February (for a charge), after the 5th May (free of charge) and after your Leaving Certificate (free of charge) but you can not amend to include restricted courses.
You must fill your course list out in order of general preference. DO NOT put down a course as number 1 because you assume you’ll never get the points for it.
What happens if you do get the points?? Number 1 should be the course you want most, number 2 your next most desirable course and so on. The CAO will only look at your second choice if you don’t meet the entry requirements or points for your first choice.
Remember, points are determined based on the number of applicants in any given year. They’ll either go up, go down or remain the same. There is no way to predict the points for any course. You must wait and see how many people applied for it and what points they received in their Leaving Certificate. Hence why the CAO offers come out after the Leaving Cert results.
Make certain you meet the entry requirements of each course you list. If you have an exemption from Irish and/or a third language and it is a requirement please research how to inform the college of this exemption.
My final advice before listing your courses:
- Check entry requirements
- Research the course and enquire as to the percentage of people who gain employment or go onto further study by contacting the course director.
- List your courses in order of preference NOT based on last year’s points.
- Have a fall back course listed somewhere on your CAO list; that course that had relatively low points last year and you know that if everything fell asunder, you’d still scrape the points and enjoy studying the course.
- Finally, check out the modules you’ll be studying in first, second, third and fourth year if applicable. Make sure you’ve an interest in the modules and most importantly have the ability to pass them.
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