1. Be an elite athlete: Being talented at sports has many advantages. Not only do you get all the girls/guys, but elite athletes often receive money from colleges in the form of scholarships.

However, better again is that, in rare circumstances, your talent merits you entry onto certain courses, even if you don’t get the requisite points. For example, NUI Galway’s elite athlete scheme sees 15 high-level athletes being given 40 bonus CAO points. Similar schemes are run in NUI Maynooth (where successful applicants are awarded 60 points) and in DCU, via the elite sportspersons entry scheme. UCD offers a top-up of 60 points to members of its elite athletes academy (EAA).

However, aspiring medics will be disappointed to learn that medicine is usually not included on these schemes.

2. Excel in the creative arts: We all know Galway is more arty than most cities and towns in Ireland, but the fact that NUI Galway is willing to give extra CAO points to those gifted in this area shows how seriously they take their creative pursuits.

If your talents lie specifically in creative writing, digital arts and media, drama and theatre, film or non-fiction writing (including journalism), then you should be looking towards NUI Galway. Successful applicants will gain a bonus of 40 points when applying for entry to all NUI undergraduate courses (with the exception, again, of medicine).

A maximum of 15 candidates will be selected. Candidates will be made a conditional offer in May. Applications must be sent to arrive no later than 14 February 2015. Visit www.nuigalway.ie/creativeartsperformacepoints.

3. Take a chance on Trinity: For the second year, Trinity will be using a new admissions route to fill ten places in history (TR003), ten places in law (TR004) and five places on ancient and medieval history and culture (TR028). This new admissions route is part of a feasibility study to see if there is a better and fairer mechanism (that uses more than the Leaving Cert as an assessment) to place applicants on courses.

Students must apply to CAO by 1 February (selecting one or more of the courses involved), and they must then complete all elements of the Trinity Application Form by 1 March.

This information will include an honest piece of self-reflection, discussing what you would like to study and why. Applicants attempting to avail of this admissions route will also be eligible for all of the regular places on the course filled in the traditional way.

4. Be from Northern Ireland: Trinity and NUI Galway are both trying to increase the number of students from Northern Ireland coming through their doors. To do this, both colleges are (temporarily at least) relaxing the requirement that applicants should have four A-Levels, which, thus far, proved an obstacle because approximately 80% of A-Level students sit just three A-Levels.

In Trinity, a maximum of three places per course will be set aside for entry for students with three A-Levels, while in the pilot scheme in NUI Galway approximately 200 places across more than 50 undergraduate programmes (with the exception of medicine, due to the HPAT) are being set aside for students from Northern Ireland.

In Galway, A-Level students will be ranked in order of their achievement in their best three A-Level exams and places will be offered to the applicants who rank highest.

5. Be eligible for HEAR: The purpose of the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is to assist those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education. One way HEAR assists such students is by granting places to eligible students on a reduced-points basis.

Applicants must meet a range of financial, social and cultural indicators before being considered eligible. Indicators include if students went to a DEIS school or if the employment status or occupation of a student’s parents or guardians falls into the non-manual worker group or the semi and unskilled workers group. Students who enter college via HEAR also receive extra supports when they get to college. Visit www.accesscollege.ie