What happens next and how to manage it

Remember – you’re not alone. Whether you are dealing with the good news of accepting your chosen course or struggling with an unexpected decision, there is always help available

I GOT THE SECOND-ROUND OFFER I WANT. HOW DO I ACCEPT MY PLACE?

You should go online to the CAO website ( cao.ie) and, using your access code and password, view the course or courses on offer to you today. If you’re one of the small number of applicants who will accept a place by post, do so at least a day before the deadline and get a certificate of posting from your post office. If you do not accept the place offered to you today by the September 5th deadline, it will go back into the CAO computer system for any later offers.

I DIDN’T GET THE COURSE I REALLY WANTED FROM THE CAO TODAY, BUT I HAVE AN OFFER THAT I’M NOT REALLY SURE ABOUT TAKING. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?

If you have not received a second-round offer, your chances of points dropping further are small, so it is time to look at the options still open to you. There are still vacant courses on offer through the CAO website. So long as there are courses on offer you can amend your list of courses to add one of those.

If you decide not to take what you have been offered today, the offer will lapse on September 5th and you cannot retrieve it.

If having checked the course out on the Qualifax website ( qualifax.ie) and visited the college, you feel it is not for you, have the courage to let the offer go. There is a big financial cost if you drift through a course you are not committed too and eventually drop out or fail. If one of the courses you really want does become available in a later round of offers and you want to accept it, you may transfer your acceptance to that place at no additional expense.

I’M DELIGHTED WITH MY CAO OFFER, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO DEFER MY ACCEPTANCE FOR A YEAR.

If you want to defer your course place, you must immediately contact the college admissions office, and request their permission to defer your place until next year, outlining your reason for doing so. You do not need to contact the CAO at this stage but you must remember to re-apply to the CAO next year, listing just that one course in your CAO application.