CAO day: As of this morning, 75% of applicants have course offers

Three-quarters of this year’s record 81,000 third-level college applicants have now been offered a course after the bulk of this autumn’s places are allocated this morning.

Mon, 22 Aug, 2016 - 01:00

Niall Murray - Education Correspondent

The 52,289 people who have been notified of a chance to take up one of their chosen college programmes brings to just over 60,000 the number offered a place so far this year by the Central Applications Office (CAO).

While more than 7,100 places had already been filled in earlier rounds over the past seven weeks by some overseas mature students and other applicants, it is the 47,000 CAO hopefuls who sat the Leaving Certificate in June who make up the bulk of those getting an offer today.

Last year, around 39,000 of those receiving offers at this stage had received their exam results the previous week, and similar numbers are likely to be among today’s offer recipients, although official figures were not available from the CAO at the weekend.

While almost 20,000 people who applied to CAO this year are still without an offer, in line with numbers in recent years, there may be some hope of offers in subsequent rounds beginning on Thursday week, September 1.

But with 21,505 people with a level 8 (honours) degree offer this morning getting their first preference, many courses are likely to be already filled by the time the deadline to accept Round 1 offers passes next Monday evening. They account for 52% of today’s 41,222 level 8 offers which were issued at 6am by email and which can be accepted online.

That is slightly higher than the corresponding proportion a year ago, but there may be a better chance of offers in later rounds for courses in nursing, agriculture, dentistry, science and arts degrees. More than half the people offered level 8 courses in these categories will still be waiting on an offer of a higher-preference course from their CAO application in subsequent offer round, meaning the places they are offered today could become available again in the coming weeks.

Last year, only 1,845 additional applicants were offered a course subsequent to this stage of the CAO process, as most of the 5,200 offers that went out later were to people already offered a course from lower down their application list.

For all but around 1,000 of 34,073 people offered a level 6 or 7 course this morning, it is one of their top three choices. The courses offered to 79% of those with the opportunity to accept a level 8 degree were one of their three top preferences.

There are other options, however, for anyone disappointed not to get an offer they had hoped for, as dozens of courses have re-opened for fresh applications on the CAO website. Its ‘available places’ facility offers a chance to seek entry to courses not already listed on existing applicants’ course choices, but also for anyone who had not up to now already applied to the CAO.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland president Joanne Irwin congratulated students who received an offer but advised those who did not to stay hopeful, with a chance of better news in later rounds.

“In terms of options, there are hundreds of cutting-edge options in the further education sector, particularly with post-Leaving Certificate courses. As well as being extremely valuable in their own right, these represent a viable, alternative pathway to higher education and, ultimately, a chosen career,” she said.

CAO communications officer Eileen Keleghan reminded those who have received offers that they can ultimately only accept one offer by next Monday evening’s deadline.

While not accepting an offer will not preclude someone from being offered a course higher on their order of preference, there is a choice to be made by those with two offers. More than 23,200 people are in that position as they have been offered one course from their level 8 list and another which they had picked from the levels 6 and 7 courses.

“Applicants must choose between these lists and can only accept one offer. If they accept both offers, the last recorded acceptance received by CAO by the reply date is the one that will be counted,” Ms Keleghan said.