Two-thirds of college applicants receive offer
The Central Applications Office (CAO) is making at least one offer to 46,577 — or 68% — of the 68,112 seeking a third level place.
They include almost 34,500 people being offered a honours bachelor degree (Level 8) course and 32,597 with the option of an ordinary bachelor degree or higher certificate programme (Level 7/6). Many candidates will have been offered one from each list of courses if they had the necessary Leaving Certificate points and met any specific subject requirements.
Just over half of the 34,996 Level 8 places offered this morning were on the recipients’ first choice course, and almost another 10,000 have been offered their second or third choice.
From Level 7/6 offers, four-out-of-five are the first choice course of the applicants concerned and just over 1,200 are their fourth or lower choice.
All offers were available to be checked and accepted online through the CAO website — www.cao.ie from 6am today. As well as these offers, 5,246 people have previously accepted places in the past six weeks, including those applying based on qualifications other than Leaving Certificate.
The figures today indicate there should be a strong take-up of places in Round 1 before tomorrow week’s deadline, so the chances of disappointed students receiving a first or subsequent offer next week are slim.
However, Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) president Eilís Coakley advises anybody hanging on for their dream course that all is not lost.
“There is also the second round on August 29, when points in lots of courses drop if people don’t take up offers,” Ms Coakley said.
She also reminded applicants that the CAO will offer vacant places on courses not yet filled from tomorrow at midday. Many of them are new courses introduced by colleges since most applicants submitted choices at the end of January.
Ms Coakley said that, even if students do not get onto a course through the CAO this year, they still have a number of options.
They can repeat the Leaving Certificate, or if they are not far off the points needed for a particular course, they can appeal to have their exam papers rechecked.
“Or they could look at the many alternative ways of getting into their preferred course or career, particularly the further education route,” Ms Coakley said.
“If somebody doesn’t get a place through the CAO, it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of other options,” she said.
The National Parents Council (Post Primary) helpline (1800 265 165) staffed by IGC members is open from 10am to 8pm today, tomorrow and Wednesday.
