Students can expect fewer second round CAO offers
A record number of vacancies have already been filled ahead of today’s 5.15pm deadline to accept for the 46,577 people
offered one or more
courses eight day ago.
By 11am yesterday, 32,272 online acceptances had been registered with the CAO, around the same number as all places taken up during round one a year ago.
But with as many as 3,000 of those coming in the final 24 hours before the round one deadline in 2007, at least 35,000
college places are expected to have been taken up by this evening’s cut-off time.
Last year, around 3,000 people were offered a place in the second round, but only 800 of them were applicants who had not been given an offer in the first round.
Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) spokesperson Michael Gleeson said anybody already offered a place but who is waiting for one of their higher preferences should still accept what they have for now.
“If something else comes up in the second round on Friday, well and good, but with the high level of acceptances it’s likely that points for very few courses will drop much or at all.”
Those who were disappointed not to be offered a place, or deciding not to take up an offer, can still apply for enrolment in more than 220 courses with vacant places. They are still available for applications and a full list is on the CAO website, with computing, engineering and business courses among the most common featured.
Students who are considering appealing a Leaving Certificate grade following their results almost a fortnight ago will have the option of viewing their marked paper at schools on Friday or Saturday of this week. They will have until next Tuesday to lodge a formal appeal with the State Examinations Commission and the outcomes will be notified to students in early October.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael has called for an end to requirements that applicants for Back to Education grants from the Department of Social and Family Affairs must be unemployed for six months, in light of rising jobless figures, and particularly among young people who left school early to work in the construction industry.
“We have government policy preventing those who want to upskill from doing so, by basically telling them to hang around and do nothing for six months. It’s ridiculous at a time when we need to get people off the Live Register, that government policy is encouraging them to stay on it,” Mr O’Mahony said.
