Cost of college: How much can you expect to pay for third-level education in Ireland?
Rent, food, travel, books, laptops and the €2,500 contribution fee add up to a considerable amount for students and families
Classroom to College
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CAO round one offers bring delight, surprise and disappointment
Applications for veterinary medicine, physiotherapy and medicine all increased this year
Got a CAO offer? The temptation is to accept immediately, but take your time
How to accept or defer – and what happens if you get an upgrade in your Leaving Cert points
‘I left school without filling out CAO form’: Louth GAA’s Sam Mulroy insists Leaving Cert ‘doesn’t define you’
Businessman who runs his own gym says he ‘got 200 points in my Leaving Certificate, and still ended up with a Master’s degree’
Skills-based FET courses versus traditional university education: Which are the real routes to opportunity?
What are the outcomes for respective graduates, particularly on durability of skills and earning potential, in the age of AI?
What is an apprenticeship and would it work for me?
Being paid while you study is a key factor, and there are more than 80 programmes available across all sectors of the economy
Apprenticeships: ‘It’s hard, working and studying at the same time’
A social media post planted the idea of an accounting technician’s apprenticeship in Lauren Hickey’s head
What’s college life like for disabled students?
Specialised disability support services are improving, but stigma still exists and transition to third level can be a challenge
If you love working with animals, you don’t have to be a vet
Smart Choices: The many careers you can build with animals
Huge range of options now available to school leavers to secure their desired course choices
Further Education sector growing in popularity with school leavers
‘Even the canteen lady knew my name at the PLC college. Everybody is so close-knit’
Lana Dowling was ‘lost’ for a long time in secondary school, but PLC courses proved a huge help in building her future
Leaving Cert: All thoughts now move to CAO round one offers
Good luck on Wednesday, and please do get in touch if you have any questions
Further education and training should be considered a winning choice, not a consolation prize
FET options are simply different tools for different goals, and choosing such paths is a decision made on its own merits
‘Imagine if my two kids ended up in TUS as well and they’re looking at their old man walking around’
Having begun a tertiary degree at 45, David Faulkner is proud of being able to say: ‘I am able; I am capable’
It’s not too late to apply for one of the many tertiary degrees on offer in Ireland
Entry to these programmes is not based on Leaving Cert points but instead looks at student drive, suitability, skills and ability
‘They called me and I went for the interview ... They just needed my Leaving Cert results’
The tertiary degree route is one student Saira Mughal highly recommends to others
What impact will ongoing grade-enhancement reductions have on CAO points?
Continuing enhancement of Leaving Cert results, even at a reduced level, means an ongoing distorting effect
Leaving Cert results: Will CAO points rise or fall? The questions students are asking
Many school leavers are concerned about points requirements for courses. But there are also career pathways beyond the traditional route
‘Mum is in tears, she can’t talk’: Student who left school in second year gets 625 points in Leaving Cert
She studied the Leaving Cert course through online grinds, which she worked to pay for, and through the use of free online teaching videos on YouTube
Appeal, wait, go abroad, repeat: what can you do if you don’t get your first CAO choice?
Students from the class of 2026 have more options than ever
You have your Leaving Cert results. Now what?
Stay calm and ensure you are clear on how to interpret your grades as they relate to your college requirements
Leaving Cert results: One of the most beloved subjects proves, yet again, to be one of the hardest
Physics and chemistry are often perceived as difficult subjects, but they tend to have a high H1 rate
Leaving Cert 2026: A unique second-level journey ends
Whatever results you have just received are a mark of your resilience over six uniquely challenging years
CAO points system cannot be used to measure intelligence
People possess distinct intelligences, not just one or two that can be captured by an IQ test or examination
Advice for first years: ‘You don’t find yourself at university, you kind of create yourself there’
Bel Aghedo has completed her first year of a law degree at University of Galway
Are you too late for campus accommodation? What should you do now?
On-campus housing can be both expensive and difficult to secure
Leaving Cert results: Life isn’t about exams, fractions or poets
The Irish Times will publish a special supplement for those navigating one of the most important milestones in Irish education
Leaving Cert 2026: What time are the results out and what are other key dates?
From the initial release of results through to the appeals process and on to rounds of college offers
A parent’s guide to results day: This is not the time for ‘I told you so’
Thousands of disappointed students have always found a way forward
How can incoming students get the best out of their first year at college?
Making the library a second home can pay dividends when exams and assignments fall due
The exponential growth of apprenticeships in Ireland
There are now 87 apprenticeship programmes available in Ireland across 17 sectors, with many more in development
The crunch CAO question: What kind of thinker do I want to be?
Making your CAO decision is just the starting point for a working life that will involve not only multiple jobs but multiple careers
There are many reasons for changing your CAO choices, but be careful of ‘the most dangerous one’
With a week to go, there is enough time to adopt an approach that keeps the ‘end of the world’ feeling at bay
Ireland’s most unusual and intriguing third-level courses
A selection of less conventional options for study after secondary school
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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