The CAO will close their 'early bird' offer of 30 euro from 5pm on Tuesday 20th January. After this, the fee increases to 45 euro until the CAO closes at 5pm on Sunday 1st February. These deadlines are final.
While our students do not have to have their courses on their CAO until later in the year, some exceptions do apply. Students must have the relevant courses on their CAO before it closes on February 1st if...
- It is a restricted course. Students may need to include a portfolio, interview, project, interview, audition etc as part of the entry requirements and so this course must be on their CAO account before this deadline.
- Where a student will apply to on-campus accommodation in this institute. For example, to apply to DCU the student must have a DCU course on their CAO form.
- Where a student will apply for a scholarship, they must have a course from this institute down on their CAO. Ideally, in as their first/second choice but this is not strictly necessary.
- Where a student hopes to apply to any access route such as the 1916 bursary, reach programme, sanctuary scholarships, HEAR, DARE and so on.
- Where a student will complete external exams such as the HPAT and other testing.
Students are not tied to these courses when the 'Change of Mind' facility opens (in May), however they are expected to have courses down in the above circumstances.
It should also be noted that students should keep an eye on their preferred university accommodation pages going forward as they will begin advertising lottery systems for the 2026/27 academic year soon. All universities vary in their dates, it is the responsibility of the applicant to stay up to date.
For more information please see cao.ie, access.ie or our teams page as well as the relevant university websites.