The CAO is the process by which people apply for undergraduate courses in Irish Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) only.

There are various deadlines and processes that you need to be aware of, so it is essential that you sit down and take them one at a time.

Here are the ones that you need to know and act on now:

Step one:

The closing date for CAO applications is 1 February, this means that:

  • a you need to have paid your fee, €30 before 20 January and €45 up to 1 February and
  • b filled in the basic information about yourself.

    • Things to take note of here:

  • The applicant should be the person filling in this information – not the parents. Applicants need to understand the process because HEIs and the CAO will only communicate with applicants – not third parties.
  • The applicant’s phone number and personal email – not their school email – should be included. Do not use parents’ email or phone number; this causes numerous issues every year which leads to applicants missing out on key information.
  • You should tick ‘yes’ to receiving SMS text messages from the CAO and HEIs.
  • In regards to the Qualifications & Assessment Summary, some applicants incorrectly fill this in:

    • a If you are applying with a Leaving Certificate, including this year’s, tick the first box: ‘Irish Leaving Certificate Exams (1985-2022)’.

    b If you are applying as a FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council) applicant, click the appropriate box.

    c Please note – you can tick more than one box.

  • Create a password that you will remember.
  • You will then receive your CAO application number, which you should take note of as you will need it in order to log into your CAO account.

    • Step two:

    You can then log into your CAO account and continue with your application process. In this section you need to fill in your educational information. This is based on the information you provided.

    Step three:

    Once you have completed the above you will then be brought to a new page where you will see all the information that you have submitted. Check this properly to ensure that you have filled in this information correctly.

    You don’t necessarily need to have inputted your course choices yet; this facility is open until 1 July. However, certain courses are Restricted-Application Courses (see more on the next page). These courses have early assessment procedures, which may start as early as February. These do need to be on your application before 1 February.

    Tips and info

    Engage and familiarise

    The CAO website has all the information that you need regarding the application process. I would advise that applicants and parents make themselves aware of this and begin to engage and familiarise themselves with the website.

    On the home page there is an ‘Applicant’ tab, clicking here will bring you to various resources that will help with your application. You can download the CAO Handbook and view the CAO Video Guides (which are excellent and worth the watch) in addition to accessing many other resources.

    Other information

    Also on the CAO home page is a section for parents/guardians. There are some good resources to be found here that will help parents/guardians support their child with their application.

    Finally a useful resource on the CAO website is the ‘interactive demo facility’. This can be found by clicking the green tab ‘Apply’. Here, an applicant can do a practice run and familiarise themselves with how the registration process works. It is great for guiding the applicant through the application process.

    Restricted courses

    These are courses which require additional assessments – like a portfolio, an oral or written examination or an interview. These courses are clearly marked on the CAO as ‘Restricted’ and an applicant must have these courses on their course choices list by 1 February 2022 at 5pm.

    How do I know what courses are restricted?

  • Log onto www.cao.ie
  • Click on the ‘Courses’ tab.
  • Under ‘search for title/keyword’ type in Restricted and click go.

    • A full list of all restricted courses will appear and you can click on each of them for further information.

    Access routes

    Disability Access Route to Education (DARE)

    This is a third-level alternative admissions scheme for school-leavers whose disabilities have had a negative impact on their second level education. DARE is an admission route for those with a disability on a reduced points basis.

    It is important to note that not all colleges participate in this scheme. Participating colleges can be found on accesscollege.ie

    Who should apply?

    You should apply if:

  • Your disability has had a negative impact on your educational performance in school.
  • You are not able to meet the points for your preferred course due to the impact of your disability.
  • You are under 23 years of age as at 1 January 2022.

    • What disabilities are eligible for consideration?

    There are numerous disabilities that are eligible for consideration. Some include: attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADD/ADHD); deafness or being hard of hearing, blind or vision impaired; mental health diagnoses; physical disabilities or autism. The full list can be found on accesscollege.ie

    DARE eligibility criteria

    In order to be eligible for DARE there are two main criteria that you need to meet:

  • Educational Impact Criteria plus.
  • Evidence of Disability Criteria.

    • Applicants must provide the required evidence of their disability and provide an Educational Impact Statement from their school to be considered for DARE. Each year, some students only send one of these two requirements and, as a result, their application cannot be assessed.

    What are the benefits?

    1 Reduced points for those applying – eg if points for a particular course are 350 points, an eligible DARE applicant could be offered a place with lower points score (eg 340). These reductions depend on a number of factors:

  • The overall number of places on the course.
  • The number of DARE reserved places.
  • Number of DARE applicants who apply for the course (only those DARE applicants who don’t achieve the points are considered. DARE applicants who get the points will get their place regardless and can still avail of the supports in the college).
  • Applicants will still need to meet entry and programme requirements in order to be considered for DARE.

    • 2 DARE applicants are invited to the college before the beginning of term for an orientation programme.

    3 There are learning supports available to successful applicants.

    4 Assistive technology may be supplied, depending on an applicant’s needs.

    5 There may be exam accommodations.

    *It is important to note that you don’t have to be eligible for DARE to avail of college supports.

    How to apply

  • 1 February – You need to apply for DARE on your CAO application.
  • 1 March – You need to complete Section A of the Supplementary Information Form and apply to DARE by answering YES to Question 1 and fully complete questions 1-5. If you want to carry forward your DARE, then mark Question 1(b)
  • 15 March – The Educational Impact Statement and Evidence of Disability needs to be posted and reach CAO by 15 March.
  • You can apply to both HEAR & DARE and if successful these applicants are prioritised.

    • Helpful tips

  • Download and read the DARE handbook at www.accesscollege.ie.
  • Only send copies of documents, and include all pages.
  • Put your CAO number and your name on all documentation that you send.
  • Keep proof of postage.
  • Speak with your guidance counsellor, special education needs teacher, year head, deputy principal or principal for guidance and support.
  • Ensure that the your proof of disability is issued by the correct professional (eg if you are applying under a mental health condition, a report from a psychiatrist is required – not from your GP).
  • Reports for ADD/ADHD, mental health conditions and significant ongoing illnesses must be less than three years old (dated after 1 February 2019).
  • Other reports, such as a specific learning difficulty as issued by a psychologist, are not date sensitive. However, it is important that you check these out before submitting.
  • Don’t leave it until the last minute to get your documentation together.
  • Check the deadlines to ensure you give yourself plenty of time to gather the information needed.

    • Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)

    This is for school leavers who, for social, financial or cultural reasons, are under-represented in third level education.

    School leavers who are children of higher professionals are significantly more likely to go on to 3rd level education than those from other Irish socio-economic groups.

    Who should apply?

    An applicant should apply if they meet the first criteria below and have the right combination of two other indicators:

    1 Your household income was on or below €45,790 in 2020.

    2 You or your family have a medical card or GP visit card.

    3 Your parents received a means-tested social welfare payment for at least 26 weeks in 2020.

    4 Your parents’ or guardians’ employment status is under-represented in higher education. For example: non-manual workers; semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers; agricultural workers.

    5 You have attended a DEIS second-level school for five years.

    6 You live in an area of concentrated disadvantage.

    The combination for assessment can be:

  • 1 + 2 + (4 or 5 or 6)
  • 1 + 3 + (4 or 5 or 6)
  • 1 + 4 + (5 or 6)
  • 1+ 5 + 6

    • Why apply?

    Reduced points for those applying: eg if points for a particular course are 350, an eligible HEAR applicant could be offered a place with lower points score, like 340. These points reductions are dependent on a number of factors:

  • The overall number of places on the course.
  • The number of HEAR reserved places.
  • Number of HEAR applicants who apply for the course (only those HEAR applicants who don’t achieve the points are considered. HEAR applicants who get the points will get their place regardless and can still avail of the supports in the college).

    • *Applicants will still need to meet entry and programme requirements in order to be considered for DARE.

    How to apply

  • 1 February – You need to apply for HEAR on your CAO application
  • 1 March – You need to complete all sections of the online HEAR application form by 5pm. When you have completed this section you will receive a checklist which tells you what documents you need to complete your application.
  • 15 March – Clear copies of supporting documents needs to be posted and reach CAO by 15 March.
  • You can apply to both HEAR & DARE, and, if successful, these applicants are prioritised.

    • *It is important that you begin this as soon as possible because some documents may take some time to get!

    Helpful tips

  • Download and read the HEAR handbook at accesscollege.ie.
  • Complete the online application on your CAO.
  • Only send copies of documents and include all pages, remember to get these as early as you can.
  • The most common error in 2020 was applicants sending the wrong Revenue document.
  • Put your CAO number and your name on all documentation that you send.
  • Keep proof of postage
  • Speak with your guidance counsellor, special education needs teacher, year head, deputy principal or principal if you are unsure of anything.
  • Watch for the deadlines.

    • HEAR is not SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). If you are apply to HEAR, you should also apply for SUSI.

    For all information on DARE and HEAR applications visit accesscollege.ie and click the DARE/HEAR tab.

    Eoin Houlihan is a guidance counsellor in Collinstown Park CC and career guidance adviser at The Carlow Academy.