CAO 2026: Making a calm assessment of your offers
If you have received an offer of a college place after round one, then you should accept it, even if it is not your first preference. It won't stop you from being offered a high preference course later on, if a place becomes available in later rounds. Photo: iStock
Every year, without fail, the first round of college place offers through the CAO brings equal helpings of joy and sadness to students.
Today (Thursday, August 27), thousands are delighted — having secured their first choice, they are turning their attention to rental websites, beginning the battle for college accommodation ahead of the new term.
But in equal numbers are the unhappy students. Maybe they weren't expecting to be unhappy, but they have been offered a course way down their preference list.
Maybe they are without an offer altogether, and don't know what to do next. If you are among these students, we hope this series of articles will help you find some answers, or maybe help you to ask yourself the right questions as you take the next steps.
Through pandemics, booms and busts, CAO points fluctuate up and down, and the margins students miss out on their course by can come down to meagre points that in no way capture their true potential or abilities.
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If you are disappointed, you can take comfort in the fact that there have never been as many alternative routes into different careers.
Across the board, guidance counsellors have told us that attitudes towards these non-traditional pathways continue to change.
You might be disappointed now, but a calm assessment of your options, and the next steps ahead of you can make all the difference.
"Round one is important, but it's only the start of the process,” said David Drury, the head of the guidance and counselling department at Blackrock College, Dublin. "It's not the end of it."
A teacher for more than 20 years, he regularly shares careers information on Insta @ careerascent24.
If you have received an offer of a college place after round one, then you should accept it, even if it is not your first preference. It won't stop you from being offered a high preference course later on, if a place becomes available in later rounds.
It's important to note and pay careful attention to the incoming deadlines, such as Round 2 offers, and when to accept Round 1 offers by. Students have until 3pm on September 1 to accept Round 1 offers, with Round 2 to be available from September 7 at 2pm. Offers will continue until Round 5, on September 29.
“I would advise students to put the dates into their phones to remind themselves of important deadlines, and I tell them to set reminders,” Mr Drury said. “They've spent years and months working towards this point, so they don't want to miss any opportunity or any deadline.”
He added: “If students receive an offer of their first preference, they should accept that offer without further delay. If they receive their second or third place preference, I encourage them to also keep an eye on later rounds of the CAO.
“I advise them to be clear on the date and deadlines for those later rounds.”
A common dilemma faced every year by students is receiving a lower preference course than the one they wanted.
“I would encourage them to research and to look at the course that they've been offered," Mr Drury said. Be detailed in your investigations.
"Research the modules, research the qualification, as well as any postgraduate opportunities or career opportunities. If they're happy with those, then they should accept those offers.”
For students who have yet to receive an offer, it's a setback, he said. "But it's not the end of the road. The biggest mistake at this stage is to assume that the CAO hasn't produced the outcome that you hoped for and that your career path has disappeared. It hasn't.
“I would encourage students to widen their search at this point by looking at further education and PLC opportunities, apprenticeships, tertiary degrees and to look at Available Places coming out from the CAO."
Available Places, through the CAO, is something that students should keep a close eye on, he added. This online facility is where all courses with available places are listed. Students still must meet the minimum entry requirements.
“Keep in mind, the courses are not going to be medicine or veterinary or any of the very sought-after courses,” Mr Drury said. “But there are possibilities for other areas that can come up.”
Calm thinking is needed here too.
“I would encourage students when using Available Places not to choose a course simply because there's a place available,” he explained. “You need to research the course that comes up and to really look at the course content, look at the entry requirements.
"Look at where its graduates go. Overall, does the course align with your interests, your strengths, and your career goals? Ask yourself is this the right opportunity for me before you commit to it.”
A PLC course may also be another option, but students should also take the time to ask themselves key questions, he believes.
“I wouldn't say to choose a PLC because it simply sounds similar to a degree course. You need to check the QQI award and the progression links. You need to check which higher education institute accepts that award, and which courses, and you need to check the result you need and how many places will be available through that route.
“You've a lot of research to do on that. Some of the degree programmes have a limited number of QQI places and they are competitive. They require distinctions in the models before you're accepted onto the degree. It's not guaranteed to get a place in college so you do need to do your research. There's a good bit of research to do there.”
This year, he has continued to notice changing attitudes towards options like apprenticeships and tertiary degrees.
“I think in the past people associated apprenticeships solely with traditional trades, where there still are excellent opportunities available. But students should also be aware that the apprenticeship system has expanded far beyond the traditional trades. Now there are numerous opportunities in professional, technical and technological areas for the right student.
“The attraction with an apprenticeship is that you're employed. You're earning while learning, and you're gaining genuine workplace experience. I think that's a really positive development, the changing attitude towards apprenticeships. It's a very different model of education and training and it's to be welcomed."
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