My son isn’t the most organised, and I’ve heard horror stories of CAO applicants left without any college offers after it emerged that the student left key details out. What are the essential factors that an applicant needs to be aware of to ensure they fill it out correctly?
Firstly, and most importantly, does he have a CAO application number for the application process? If not, you have just days to go online at cao.ie. It costs €50. Simply click on the apply section.
The 5pm course choice deadline on February 1st is only significant in respect of the restricted application programmes which are all listed on the CAO website. These courses, which have a pre-entry requirement marked as “restricted” in the CAO handbook, are available online. Many of these are in IADT (Institute of Art, Design and Technology) and NCAD (National College of Art and Design), where portfolios are required for several courses. The remaining restricted courses are in music, animation, art, theatre, drama, interior design and architecture, among other areas. Just look for “restricted” courses in the search field on the CAO website.
Having applied by February 1st, he can still select restricted courses from February up to March 1st at 5pm for an additional fee of €10. Most tests and interviews for restricted courses are held in March and April. There is no restriction on applicants removing any of these restricted courses from their final list of courses in advance of the July 1st deadline.
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For the 12,000-plus applicants who will apply to be considered for a points reduction requirement based on Dare (having a diagnosed disability), or 8,000-plus who will do so through Hear (being classified as socially disadvantaged), it is important to tick the relevant Dare or Hear box on the CAO application as soon as he registers and download the online file. If he is applying to either programme he has one month to complete this by the closing date for all online forms on March 1st next.
If he were a mature applicant aged over 23 (since January 1st last), the application deadline of February 1st is in fact the real deadline for course choices for this cohort.
In the case of mature, Hear and Dare schemes, ensure that any supporting documentation relevant to the applicant arrives at the CAO offices in Galway before March 10th at 5pm.
It is also vital to remind your son to deal promptly with any correspondence from the CAO. This includes the “statement of application record”, which is sent by email to all applicants before the end of May.
This is aimed at ensuring applicants’ information has been recorded correctly. I can’t emphasise enough how important this is. Every year, some students miss out on round-one offers due to errors, omissions or failure to spot an important message that arrived during the summer.
Finally, don’t allow your son to have only one option of a level 8 CAO offer in September. There is a level 6/7 course list as well. He should also explore Post Leaving Cert options in his main area of interests in local Further Education (FE) colleges, with options to progress back into the CAO process the following year, as well as tertiary degree options (nto.ie) starting in FE colleges in years one and two and completing the final years in a university.
- Do you have a career or education query? Email askbrian@irishtimes.com
