A guide for
parents and
guardians
their next step
www.cao.ie
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Contents
1
Introduction
2
Your role as a parent/guardian
2
Helping your child to choose their higher education courses
3
The application deadlines
4
Completing the application form
5
Important correspondence from CAO
6
Making amendments to a CAO application
7
The offers stage
8
Deferring a place
9
Accepting an offer
9
The recheck process
11
Conclusion
11
Communicating with CAO
12
A summary of the major stages of the CAO application
process
13
Contents
www.cao.ie
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
Introduction
Welcome to The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians. This document has been prepared by
the Central Applications Office (CAO) to assist parents and guardians supporting a student in their
undergraduate application to Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
The CAO is responsible for processing applications and recording
acceptances for HEIs, but all decisions on admissions are made by the
individual institutions and not by CAO.
The information provided in this guide is tailored for parents and should not
be used by students. Students must carefully read the CAO Handbook,
available at www.cao.ie/handbook , which contains information on all of the
courses, restrictions, deadlines, fees and application guidelines. All students
should also seek the advice of their school guidance counsellor before
completing their CAO application.
Your role as a parent/guardian
Throughout this guide, we use the terms ‘parent’, ‘guardian’, and ‘child’, but please note that this
document has been prepared for a parent, step-parent, guardian, carer or supporter of someone
applying to CAO.
Make sure your child lists
their courses in genuine
order of preference
Remind your child to
review all CAO
correspondence carefully
Encourage your child to
apply early
Accept offer online by the
reply date
st
Watch out for
important deadlines
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
Helping your child to
choose their higher
education courses
It is extremely important that your child takes the
time to review all of the courses and Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) available to them.
Courses are listed in the CAO Handbook and can
also be searched www.cao.ie/courses
Students should request a prospectus or visit the
website of the institution that they are interested in
attending. When deciding on courses, your child
must make sure to check the minimum entry
requirements for each of the courses and take note
of any restrictions, such as early application dates,
supplementary information that may need to be
submitted, or if an interview forms part of the
qualification process; such courses are referred to
in the handbook as restricted courses and late
application or an application on Change of Mind
may not be available options.
When helping your child to decide what courses
they want to apply for, you should also take some
time to consider the financial implications of their
decision; consider the cost of accommodation, food,
and travel expenses for every year of study.
Helpful Tips
If you know of any family
members or friends who are
attending the institution that
your child is interested in
applying to, or who have
completed the courses that
they are interested in studying,
then you should arrange to
meet with them to discuss the
course and institution in
greater detail. Attendance at
Open Days and Education Fairs
can also be helpful.
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
THE APPLICATION
DEADLINES
There are a number of important deadlines throughout the year that you should take note of:
DATE
EARLY NOVEMBER
DEADLINE
Online application facility opens
20 January 5 PM
Discounted online application fee deadline – €30
1 February 5 PM
Change of Course Choices closes
1 February 5 PM
Normal closing date for online and paper applications - €45 fee
EARLY FEBRUARY
Online facility to amend course choices opens - €10 fee
1 March 5 PM
Closing date for amending course choices
1 March 5 PM
Closing date for final completion of DARE/HEAR forms
15 March 5 PM
Closing date for DARE/HEAR documentation to be received by CAO
1 May 5 PM
Closing date for late applications
EARLY MAY
Online Change of Mind facility becomes available
END OF MAY
Statement of Application Record sent to all applicants
1 July 5 PM
Change of Mind closes
22 July 5 PM
Exceptional closing date for those attending a participating HEI
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Completing the
application form
To apply, go to
www.cao.ie/apply
Applicants should place their courses choices in
genuine order of preference, and not based on
predictions about what the points score will be
or how they will perform in their examinations.
Personal details
Your child should take care when entering their personal details, for example their date of birth
and email address. They must also inform CAO of the examinations that they will be taking or that
they have completed in the past. If we do not have this information in advance your child cannot
be credited for it at the offers stage. CAO must also be notified of any exemptions, for example
exemption from Irish or a third language.
Ample time should be allowed for the completion of the application form. Occasionally, browsers
will time-out and information may be lost; CAO has no control over this. Deadlines are strict, so
applicants should avoid leaving an application to the last minute.
Where supporting documents are required please number, date and write the CAO application
number on the front of each page, and refer to the CAO Handbook for more information.
Applicants applying for the DARE and/or HEAR schemes should allow time for the completion of
the online forms and gathering the necessary supporting documentation in advance of the
deadline. For more information visit www.accesscollege.ie.
CAO application number
When your child submits an online CAO application they will receive an
e-mail containing details of their registration, an e-mail verification
code, and their CAO application number. This number is extremely
important as it will be used by your child for all interaction with CAO
throughout the year.
My Application facility
This is where your child will log in to their CAO account once they have registered on the CAO
system. They will need their CAO application number, their date of birth, and the account
password that they created at the registration stage.
Choosing courses
There are two course choices lists – the Level 8 and
Level 7/6 lists. Applicants can enter 10 course
choices on both lists. The two lists are independent
of each other - the only time the applicant must
choose between them is at the offers stage if they
receive an offer off both lists in the same round.
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
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Honours Bachelor Degree (HD)
Ordinary Bachelor Degree (DG)
Higher Certificate (HC)
Level 8
Level 7
Level 6
NFQ levels Major Award-Types
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
Important correspondence from CAO
CAO communicates with applicants via e-mail, text and post at different stages throughout the
year. All correspondence from CAO should be treated as extremely important and checked
carefully to make sure that the information held on file by CAO is correct. Please ensure that your
child checks their e-mail account regularly.
Application number email
(immediately after applying online)
When your child applies online their first correspondence with CAO will be in the form of
an automated e-mail which will contain your child’s application number, an e-mail
verification code and the application details that they have provided.
Email correspondence
CAO will communicate with applicants via email at various intervals throughout the
application process. All CAO correspondence must be read carefully and any errors or
omissions notified to CAO immediately.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all relevant correspondence is
received and dealt with appropriately. Please make sure to regularly check the email
account provided at the application stage, and the Correspondence section of the application.
Statement of Application Record
(end of May)
Before the end of May, all applicants will receive a Statement of Application Record (by e-
mail). This is an extremely important communication, instructing applicants to carefully
review and verify their account information. Any errors or omissions (e.g. an incorrect or
missing examination number) must be communicated to CAO immediately.
If your child has not received the Statement of Application Record by the end of May you
must contact CAO via www.cao.ie/contact.
Offer Notification/Statement of Application Record
(mid-August or earlier
for some applicants)
At the offers stage, your child will either receive notification of an offer, or a Statement
of Application Record (by e-mail). If they receive a Statement of Application Record this is
because they have not been deemed eligible for an offer in this round. You must ensure
that your child checks that all of the information that CAO currently holds on file is
correct, including their examination details. If your child receives an offer
notification this means that they have been deemed entitled to a place
on one of their Level 8 or Level 7/6 courses, or both.
Please check that the information contained in the Offer Notification is
correct, and inform CAO of any incorrect or omitted information in your
child’s CAO Account. A further explanation of the offers stage is provided
later in this document.
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
Making changes to a CAO application
There are a number of deadlines which must be noted when your child is making amendments to
their CAO application. Changes to some personal information cannot be carried out online and
your child will have to post the amendment with their CAO application number to CAO, Tower
House, Eglinton Street, Galway (please obtain and keep a certificate of postage).
Amendment deadline
It is important to note that there are restrictions on introducing courses using the Change of
Mind facility - page 3 of the CAO Handbook outlines these restrictions.
For more information on the Change of Mind facility watch the video guide in
the student Resources section.
Deadline
Change of Course Choices facility available online (FREE)
Online facility to amend course choices available (FEE: €10)
Change of Mind facility available (FREE)
Early May – 1 July at 5 PM
Early February – 1 March at 5 PM
Date
Early November – 1 Feb at 5 PM
To make changes to
course choices
(during the periods outlined above):
- Log in via the 'My Application'
facility and go to add/change
course choices
- Introduce all courses on the 'new list' in the preferred order of
preference, remembering to click 'Continue with course
changes' to save the information
- Check the acknowledgement e-mail sent to the e-mail address
supplied when making the application. Make sure to check that
the changes have been recorded completely and correctly.
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
The offers stage
There are three main rounds of offers: Round A,
Round Zero, and Round One.
After Round One offers have been accepted, CAO
then issues Round Two offers for remaining places.
Subsequent offers are issued by CAO as necessary
until late Sept to fill any vacancies which may arise.
For the full timetable of offer and acceptance dates
check the ‘Important Dates’ section of www.cao.ie.
The Offer Rounds
If your child is applying on the basis of school leaving examination results, regardless of the year
completed, they may receive an offer in Round One. Round One offers will be issued as soon as
possible after the current year Irish Leaving Certificate Examination results become available.
The Common Points Scale
In 2017, a new Leaving Certificate Grading Scale and
Common Points Scale was introduced. From 2017, all
applicants, regardless of the year that they sat their
Leaving Certificate examination, will be competing
using this new Common Points Scale. For more
information on the scale go to www.transition.ie.
A Points Calculator for current year and pre-2017
Leaving Certificate candidates is available at
www.cao.ie. You will also find more information in
the ‘Student Resources’ section of our website (click
on the Applicant Scoring page).
Round
Category of applicants
Deferred applicants; mature applicants; mature nursing/midwifery
applicants; and applicants who have completed an access course.
Round A
(early July)
Round Zero
(early August)
Graduate entry medicine applicants; additional mature, deferred and
access applicants; and applicants presenting QQI FET/FETAC for
consideration for entry to courses with a quota for QQI FET/FETAC applicants.
Round One
(Mid-August)
All applicants applying on the basis of school leaving examination results,
regardless of year completed (including QQI FET applicants applying for non-
quota courses)
Round Two and subsequent offers
(late-August to mid-October)
All applicants applying on the basis of school leaving examination results,
regardless of year completed (including QQI FET applicants applying for non-
quota courses).
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
Accepting an offer
If your child decides to accept an offer they should accept the offer online before the reply date.
If they receive an offer off both lists in the same round they must choose between them; they can
only accept one offer from either their Level 8 or their Level 7/6 list in the one offer round.
Accepting an offer in Round One will not prevent your child from
receiving an offer of a higher preference course in subsequent
offer rounds.
If a place on a higher preference course becomes available in a later
round, and if your child is entitled to this place, they may receive an
offer which they can choose to accept or ignore. Accepting the new
offer will automatically cancel the previous acceptance.
If your child accepts an offer online they will
receive an acknowledgment e-mail and they can
check that their acceptance has been recorded
online at www.cao.ie.
Deferring a place
If your child decides to defer an offer of a place they must write or e-mail immediately to the
Admissions Office of the appropriate HEI. They must give their name as it appears on their CAO
application, quote their CAO application number and the course code of the offer they wish to
defer, and set out the reason(s) for the request. They must mark “DEFERRED ENTRY” clearly on the
envelope or in the Subject Line of their e-mail.
The letter or e-mail must arrive in the Admissions Office at least two days before the “Reply Date”
shown on the Offer Notice. The HEI will communicate their decision to your child. If the deferral is
not granted, your child may then accept the offer for the current year providing they record the
acceptance by the reply date.
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The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
The points score of the last person to receive an offer in that round is the cut-off point for
that course, i.e. the points that are published for that course for that round.
The offers are issued to applicants based on their position on the list. The applicant with the
highest points score will be offered the first place, the second highest will be offered the
second place, and so on until all places have been offered.
How offers are issued
Example:
The applicant’s leaving Certificate results
are released to CAO.
CAO checks if the applicant meets the minimum entry
requirements for each of their chosen courses.
CAO calculates a points score for all of the courses
that the applicant is eligible for.
The colleges instruct CAO to make X number of offers for each course.
The applicant is placed on a list for each of their eligible courses. Their position on the list is
determined by their points score relative to the other eligible applicants for that course. The
list is commonly referred to as the ‘Order of Merit’ list.
The applicant will receive an offer of the course highest up on their preference list that
they are deemed eligible for. If they are eligible for an offer on their 2nd preference
course they will not receive an offer for any lower preference courses.
The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
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How offers are issued contd.
Later offer rounds
In a later round the applicant may be deemed eligible for an offer of a course higher up on their
preference list. They can choose to accept this higher preference offer even if they have already
accepted a lower preference offer in an earlier round.
Random number selection
For some courses random number selection may also be a factor. Before students are placed on
the Order of Merit list for a course they are assigned a random number. If there are five applicants
with an identical points score competing for one remaining place, random number selection
applies and the place will be offered to the candidate with the highest random number.
No offer received
If your child does not receive an offer in the first round of offers they will receive a Statement of
Application e-mail. Please check this document carefully to ensure that all of the information is
correct, for example, their examination number and results.
In the absence of an offer in Round One, it is important to consider other options and consult with
a guidance counsellor if possible. Your child may still receive an offer in Round Two or subsequent
offer rounds. They may also choose to make an Available Places application (see below) via
www.cao.ie.
Other options include further education, taking a year out and reapplying to CAO, repeating the
Leaving Certificate, apprenticeships, and studying abroad. It is important to remind your child that
there are many options available to them.
Available places
If your child does not receive an offer in subsequent rounds, or if they are unhappy with the offer
that they receive, they may apply through the Available Places facility on the CAO website. This
facility opens in the days after Round One offers are made available online. The Available Places
facility lists all of the courses which institutions have not yet filled. Applicants who meet the
minimum eligibility criteria may apply for such courses. An application for an Available Places
course does not guarantee an offer.
For more information watch the ‘Available Places’ video guide in the ‘Student Resources’ section of
www.cao.ie.
The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
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The recheck process
If your child has requested to have some of their Leaving Certificate examinations
rechecked, and if the recheck discovers that your child deserved a higher mark
and thus obtains a higher points score, their position on the Order of Merit list
will be altered to reflect their new points score.
The decision to offer a place to a recheck applicant is made by the HEI in
question and not the CAO.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to review the information provided in this guide. We hope that we
have helped you to develop a better understanding of how the CAO works and answered some of
the questions you may have about your role in the application process.
As a parent or guardian, it is extremely important that you encourage your child to take time to
review all of the courses and institutions available to them, and remind them to place their course
choices in genuine order of preference on their application form.
It is also important that you encourage your child to submit their application form well in advance
of the deadline, and to keep track of all relevant deadlines and important CAO correspondence.
If you have any additional questions throughout the year you should consult the CAO Handbook or
visit the CAO website. If you are interested in learning more about the CAO watch the CAO videos
available on our website.
If your query is not answered online or in the Handbook, please do not hesitate to contact us via
www.cao.ie.
The CAO: A guide for parents and guardians
www.cao.ie
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Communicating with CAO
If you wish to make general enquiries with CAO on behalf of your child you must have their
application number, full name and date of birth.
CAO staff members will only be able to discuss details of your child’s account once you can verify
knowledge of that information, for example, if you wish to discuss course choices you will be
asked to verify the courses that are listed on your child’s application. The same applies for
examination details and results. If you do not have any of this information CAO cannot
communicate any information about your child’s application to you.
The best method of communication for you or your child is via the CAO website www.cao.ie.
Using the online ‘Contact’ facility and quoting the application number will allow CAO time to
review your child’s file and revert with an answer to the query, in writing, within one working
day. You can also call CAO on 091 509800, but please note that due to the large number of
applicants each year our phone lines are extremely busy.
A summary of the major stages of the CAO Application
Process
Register with
CAO before
5pm on
1 February.
Edit your application
using the
'My Application'
facility.
Provide supplementary information, and
any documents required, by the
deadlines stated in this handbook and/or
the online application form.
Introduce your Level 8 and Level
7/6 courses using the
'My Application' facility before
1 February at 5pm to
avoid restrictions.
Remember to place
your course choices
in genuine order of
preference.
Use the free Change of Mind
facility from early May to 1 July at
5pm to make changes to your
application - restrictions apply.
Carefully check the Statement
of Application Record when it
is sent to you in May and
inform CAO of any errors or
omissions immediately.
Round One Offers are issued as soon as
possible after the release of the Leaving
Certificate results. If you are accepting an
offer you must do so by the reply date on
the offer. Other categories of applicant
may receive offer notifications before this
time.
Applicants who do not receive a Round
One Offer will receive a Statement of
Application email. Please check this
statement carefully and inform CAO of
any errors or omissions.
Offers are issued to eligible
applicants until the offer season
closes, or until all of the places
have been filled, whichever
comes first.