Understanding the CAO’s ‘change of mind’ facility
The CAO change of mind facility opened on May 6. Applicants can change their college course selections free of charge until the deadline of July 1 at 5pm. Photo: iStock
The Central Applications Office (CAO) change of mind facility opened on May 6, providing applicants with the opportunity to amend and change their college course selections free of charge until the deadline of July 1 at 5pm.
The change of mind facility allows applicants to revise their course choices on their CAO application, enabling them to add, remove, or reorder courses on both Level 8 (Honours Degree) and Level 7/6 (Ordinary Degree/Higher Certificate) lists.
This flexibility is particularly beneficial for students who have reconsidered their preferences, discovered new courses, or wish to adjust their choices based on anticipated exam results.
It is important when choosing your courses that you understand the content, you ask yourself why am I doing this course? Where will it take me?
I find at careerhub.ie that a lot of students are failing to understand the outcome of these courses, or are failing to see the differences between similar courses.
Some courses appear one way and after consideration may be totally different.
Giving this time is just invaluable. It’s important for students to build their CAO accurately, and that it doesn’t contain errors for them.
To make changes, applicants should log into their CAO account via the ‘My Application’ section on www.cao.ie.
When updating course choices, it’s essential to:
List all courses in the desired order of preference. (This can be a common area where students make mistakes, again maybe through lack of understanding around the CAO offer system. It’s so important that courses are listed in the order you want them, not based on the highest points. Remember, points can alter in courses so you must ensure you follow your listing using the ‘in order of preference’ method).
Click ‘Continue with course changes’ to save the updates.
Check the confirmation email sent by the CAO to ensure changes have been correctly recorded.
Applicants can make multiple changes during this time, but each new change will overwrite previous entries in the respective category (Level 8 or Level 7/6).
It’s also important to state that every course down on your CAO at whatever number is attractive to you, that you have done your research on it and you will be happy to accept it if you got an offer.
Don’t put a course down on your CAO if you are unsure about it or haven’t looked into it as every course is a viable offer depending on your points etc.
Restricted Courses: Courses marked as ‘restricted’ typically require early assessments or interviews and must have been included in the original application by February 1, 2025.
Such courses cannot be added during the change of mind period unless the applicant had already applied for a course with identical assessment procedures.
Mature Applicants: Those applying as mature students should consult individual Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) regarding any restrictions on changing course choices during this period.
Verification: The CAO starting on May 7, 2025, sent out a Statement of Application, all applicants will receive a Statement of Application Record via email.
It’s crucial to review this document carefully and notify the CAO immediately of any discrepancies.
Here, you are looking at practical details like date of birth, address, etc. You are also looking to see if all information such as exemptions for instance have been recorded.
If you are a previous Leaving Cert candidate, you need to ensure that all relevant information is logged.
I would strongly advise getting the help of a parent with this, someone else to glance over it.
If a mistake arises now, it is quite OK to rectify it, however, if it’s missed and arises later, it could affect your offers. So take time to review this carefully.
The Change of Mind facility will close on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 5pm. No further changes can be made after this deadline.
Applicants are advised to finalise their course choices well in advance to avoid last minute issues.
You can follow @careerhub.ie, where I will be keeping you updated as we move through the season of CAO, Leaving Cert exams and offers.
I also provide one to one sessions for the CAO application specifically as well as programmes to help students find the right career area. Email info@careerhub.ie For support on using the change of mind facility, applicants can watch the CAO’s instructional video available on their website.
For further support, visit the official CAO website at www.cao.ie
