New CAO points system

In 2015 the then Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan announced a new CAO points scale which will be used for entry to higher education from 2017.

The old grading system – As, Bs, Cs and so on – ended in 2017 and in its place higher-level grades ranging from H1 to H8 and ordinary grades from O1 to O8 are awarded.

Under the new system, any student who gets 30-39 points – a E grade, or fail, under the old system – will receive points.

Students who secure a D1 grade (50-55 per cent) will be deemed eligible for entry to honours degree courses.

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As a result of the new Leaving Certificate grade scale, the universities and institutes of technology have also introduced revised basic matriculation requirements.

MATRICULATION REQUIREMENTS

* Where the requirements pre-2017 were 5 ordinary level D3 grades, in 2017 these  became 5 O6/H7 grades.

* Where the requirements pre-2017 were 2 higher level C3 grades and 4 ordinary level D3 grades, in 2017 these became 2 H5 and 4 O6/H7 grades.

* Where the requirements pre-2017 were 3 higher level C3 grades and 3 ordinary level D3 grades, in 2017 these became 3 H5 and 3 O6/H7 grades.