Question
My son is doing the Leaving Cert in June and has an Irish language exemption. What should we do to ensure he gets an offer from the CAO?
Answer
First, it’s very important that your son is familiar with the entry requirements for every course that’s on his Central Applications Office (CAO) request. As he will not be presenting Irish, he needs to ensure that he has a National University of Ireland (NUI) exemption if he has an NUI institution on his CAO.
NUI’s constituent universities are University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway and Maynooth University. NUI’s recognised colleges are RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Institute of Public Administration.
There are also several institutions which are linked to the constituent universities. If you’re unsure, check the institution’s minimum entry requirements or contact NUI.
READ MORE
His school exemption is also known as a Department of Education and Youth Certificate (this used to be called the DES Cert). He can use this to apply for an exemption from NUI, but it is not automatic.
He can apply for this by heading to exemptions.nui.ie, selecting the grounds which apply to his situation, expanding that section using the plus symbol on the right, then clicking the “Apply now” button.
If his Irish exemption was provided based on having been born or educated outside the Republic of Ireland, he can apply for an Irish exemption using his school exemption or his birth certificate under grounds one or three.
If his exemption was provided based on having a specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) or another medical condition which affects his language learning at school, he can apply under grounds four. There are several under which NUI exemptions are given, so please check out at exemptions.nui.ie to see if you are eligible.
Once he has made his application, he will receive an acknowledgment via email. The full National University of Ireland process can take up to 15 working days, but if more information is required, NUI will contact the applicant by phone or email and send an email confirming the exemption once it is processed.
National University of Ireland then communicates the exemption data to the Central Applications Office, which will add it to your son’s application in due course, under the “qualifications and assessments” section.
It’s important to note that NUI can only send that data to CAO if they have your relevant number, so if you applied before the Central Applications Office opened, double-check with the National University of Ireland that they have the CAO number and keep an eye on the email account which you gave them when you made an application.
If this is your son’s second time applying to the Central Applications Office and he got a National University of Ireland exemption last year, then all he has to do is email NUI his CAO number for this year to reactivate that exemption.
It’s important to note that they need to know if someone is reapplying, or they won’t be aware that they need to resend that exemption to CAO. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to contact NUI by phone at 01-4392424 or email at exemptions@nui.ie.
All applicants to Trinity are required to present English, Mathematics and a language other than English to meet the minimum entry requirements. If an applicant is unable to present a language other than English, then you must apply for a language exemption online at tcd.ie.
If you were previously granted a language exemption from Trinity and are reapplying to the CAO in the upcoming academic year, you must complete a second language exemption form.
- email: askbrian@irishtimes.com
