CAO (Central Application Office) Information

7/29/2019 CAO (Central Application Office) Information

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Our Lady of MercySecondary School

CAO Information

Nuala Brady

Guidance Counsellor


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Central Applications Office (CAO)

Means of applying to third level colleges inIreland.

Only deal with applications NOT with admissiondecisions. Each college makes the decision of who

gets a place on a course.


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CAO Pack

All students receive their CAO pack containing:

An application form.

A handbook (containing the list of colleges andcourses and information about the application

process).

An application fee payment form.


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General Principles

Provides fair and equal treatment for allstudents.

CAO does not recommend any course. It isthe students responsibility to decide whatcourse they are interested in doing in college.


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students Responsibility:

It is the students own responsibility toensure that the application is submitted

accurately and on time. In any one year, you may not present more

than one application (either online or paper).

Students should not send an application closeto a Closing Date. No extension to theclosing date will be allowed.


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Guidance in Choosing Courses: Guidance Counsellor gives a talk to all sixth years students

about the CAO

Guidance Counsellor meets each student on their own for ato discuss their career options and choices.

Students must read through the handbook thoroughly.

Computer search engines: www.qualifax.ie,www.careersportal.ie,www.careerdirections.ie,www.cao.ie,www.careersfair.ie

Discuss options with family, friends, past pupils andadministration staff of the HEIs.

Guest Speakers from various HEIs.

Gather information at Open Days.


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Open Days

Most colleges and universities provide an open day atsome time throughout the year. Students are encouraged

to take note of these dates from the Careers NoticeBoard. Attendance at these open days is at the pupils

own discretion.


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Application Dates and Fees:All fees are non-refundable

FEE CLOSING DATE

Normal application

(online or paper)

40 1 Feb 2013 (5:15pm)

Online discounted rate 25 20 Jan 2013 (5:15pm)

Late online application 50 1 May 2013 (5:15pm)

Late paper application 80 1 May 2013 (5:15pm)

Change of Mind Nil 5 May - 1 July 2013(5:15pm)


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Paper/Online Application:

Part A:

- Provide information about the student e.g. name,

address, date of birth, schools attended etc.- Examination details must be entered with great

care.

Part B:

- Only for mature students (over 23) or students whohave different qualifications other than the IrishLeaving Certificate.


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The CAO application system: Using a single application you may choose from the

entire range of courses from Level 8- Honours

Bachelor Degree (HD)and Level 6- HigherCertificate (HC) and Level 7-Ordinary BachelorDegree (DG).

You may apply for up to 10 courses in each

category. You should list your choices in ORDEROF PREFERENCE in each category. Put thecourse that you are interested in the most first.

Your choices on one list does not affect your

choices on the other list.


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Level 8Pref. Course Code

1.

2.

3.4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10

Level 7&Level 6Pref. Course Code

1.

2.

3.4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10


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Level 8 (HD): Offered in both Universities and Institutes of

Technologies (ITs).

Length: 3-4 years in Universities; 4 years in ITs. Points are generally higher than Level 6/7 courses.

Graduate with an Honours Degree: Pass, 2.2 Hons,2.1 Hons, 1.1 Hons.

Must complete the full term of years before beingrewarded.


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Level 7 (DG) Offered in Institutes of Technologies only.

Length: 3 years

Points are generally lower than Level 8 courses.

Graduate with an Ordinary Degree.

Some ITs offer a progression into a Level 8.

A certain grade needs to be achieved to make thisprogression.

A minority of colleges offer a reward of a HigherCertificate after 2 years.


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Level 6 (HC):

Offered in Institutes of Technologies only.

Length: 2 years

Points are generally lower than Level 7 and 8courses.

Graduate with a Higher Certificate.

Most colleges offer a progression into Level 7 and,then, Level 8 courses.

A merit or distinction grade is currently needed inorder to make these progressions.


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Online application: Online application is the preferred method as it

enables you to avoid errors. In addition students

who submit an online application by 5:15pm on 20th

Jan 2013 may get a15 discount.

The CAO website address is www.cao.ie

Click on Apply and follow instructions.

Once a student has registered they may check theirapplication at any time by going into MyApplication.


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Online application cont.:

If a students applies online his applicationnumber will appear on hisReceipt of OnlineApplication. This number is private and itwill be used in every correspondencebetween the student and the CAO for the rest

of the year. Remember if you apply online you may

change your course choices free of chargeuntil the 31st January.


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Paper Application: If a student decides to submit a Paper

application form by 1st February he will

receive a Statement of Course Choice by 15thFebruary at the latest.

(15th May in the case of late applications).

Carefully read all the instructions providedwith the Statement.


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Paper Application:Statement of Course Choice

The Statement is important for two reasons:

The Statement of Course Choice includesnotification of the students CAO applicationnumber.

The Statement of Course Choices lists the courses

that he/she has applied for. If your son/daughter has made any mistake or leftanything out in his/her course choices then this isthe time to change that error.Pay particular attention to restricted courses.


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Paper Application:Statement of Course Choice:

Check the following carefully, if there is any error

or omission, amend the Statement and return it toCAO:

- Are all the courses shown and in the correct order?

- Are all the codes correct?

- Are the exam numbers correct?- Are all exams mentioned?

- If you do not receive a Statement by 1st Junecontact CAO immediately.


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Paper Application:Change of Mind Form

Included with the Statement will be a Change

of Mind form. You may use this to changethe order of your course choices and/orintroduce new courses subject to therestrictions detailed in the Handbook.


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Contacting the CAO The easiest way to communicate with the

CAO is by using the Contact Us facility on

www.cao.ie or call (091) 509800 Always quote the CAO application number

in any communication with CAO.

If you post something to CAO, always obtaina certificate of posting at the post office.This is a free service and it offers you peaceof mind.
http://www.cao.ie/http://www.cao.ie/


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The Offer Process

In the week following the Leaving Certificate

results CAO will post a communication to all

students.

If you do not get an offer you will be sent aStatement of Application Record which youshould check carefully as important informationmay be incorrect or missing.


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The Offer Process

If you are entitled to an offer, you will be sent an

offer notice. You should check that all of thedetails on the offer notice are correct and that there

are no omissions.

Offers will also be available on the CAO website.

You may check for and accept offers on thewebsite. In fact, most students now record

acceptances online.


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The Offer Process Your offer notice may contain an offer

for a Level 8 course

or a Level 7/6 courseor both

If you receive two offers at the same time you mayonly accept one of them.

If you wish to accept an offer of a place you mustcarry out the instructions on the offer notice before5.15pm on the closing date for acceptance printed

on the offer notice.


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The Offer Process

There can be no delays at theoffer/acceptance stage.

Any offer not accepted by the closing datefor receipt of acceptance of offers in CAO

will be offered to another student in the nextround of offers.


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Other Considerations: Alert Lists

ACCESS schemes: DARE, HEAR

Restricted Coursesincluding medicine. Non-EU students

Entry Requirements

Exemptions from the Irish/3rd LanguageRequirement.

Points!


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Alert Lists

Changes have occurred since the publicationof the Handbookstudents will be informed

of these changes but if uncertain they aredisplayed on the careers notice boardalsoavailable from the CAO website: www.cao.ie

It is very important that students update theirhandbook with any relevant changes.


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Equity of Access to the HEIs:

DARE

The Disability AccessRoute to Education is asupplementaryadmissions scheme forschool leavers with

disabilities whichoperates on a reduced

points basis.

HEAR

The Higher Education

Access Route is thethird level admissionsscheme for schoolleavers from socio-

economicallydisadvantagedbackgrounds whichalso operates on a

reduced points basis.


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DAREWho is it for?

School leavers who have the ability tobenefit from and succeed in higher educationbut who may not be able to meet the pointsfor their preferred course due to the impact ofthe disability.

students who meet the subject and minimumentry requirements of the institutions towhich they apply.


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DAREeligible disabilities: Aspergers

Syndrome/Autism

ADD/ADHD

Blind/Vision impaired

Deaf/Hearing impaired

Dyspraxia Specific Learning

Difficulty (incl. Dyslexia)

Mental Health Condition

Neurological Conditions

(incl. Brain injury, speechand language)

Ongoing Medical

Condition

Physical Disability

Other Disabilities


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DAREparticipating HEIs:

Athlone Institute ofTechnology

Dublin City University

Dublin Institute ofTechnology

Mater Dei Institute ofEducation

National College ofIreland

NUI Galway

NUI Maynooth Trinity College Dublin

University College

Dublin

University College

Cork

University of Limerick


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DAREhow to apply: Apply as part of the CAO applicationtick the

appropriate box on the application formby 1February.

students will then be directed to a separate onlineapplication from which will ask them to provideadditional information about their disability orSLD.

students must support their application with

evidence from an appropriate medical consultantwww.accesscollege.ie - must be submitted by 1April. A report from an educational psychologistmust be less that three years old.
http://www.accesscollege.ie/http://www.accesscollege.ie/


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Disability: non-DARE

Students with a disability and/or Specific Learning

Difficulty but who are applying to HEIs other thanthose participating in the DARE scheme are stillencouraged to tick the relevant box on theirapplication form for, although they will not benefit

from the reduced points, the HEI they are applyingto will be forewarned to put in place any extrasupports needed by the student for their disability.


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HEARwho is it for?

School leavers who have the ability to

benefit from and succeed in higher educationand who come from socio-economic groupsin Irish society that are under-represented inthird level.

Students who also meet the minimum entryrequirements and subject requirements of theHEIs their applying to.


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HEARPost-Entry Support:

An orientation programme to introduce

students to university/college. Extra tuition if required, study skills, exampreparation.

One-to-one meetings with student advisors,

social gatherings, mentoring. A bursary (some money) when available,

advice regarding grants and scholarships.


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HEAReligible criteria1. Income: parent(s)/guardian(s)

income within the thresholds forelgibility for the Higher Education

Grants Scheme.2. Medical Card: Student, parent(s) or

guardian(s) has a Medical Care/GPVisit Card valid on 31 Dec 09.

3. Social Welfare Payment:Parent(s)/guardian(s) are in receiptof means-tested social assistance

payment for a minimum of 26continuous weeks in the year ending31 Dec 09.

4. Socio-economic group: Student

comes from a socio-economic groups

that is under-represented in higher

education (i.e. non-manual,

semi&unskilled, agricultural

workers).

5. School: Student has completed 5

years in a DEIS school.

6. Area: student is living in an urban or

rural area of concentrated

disadvantage and social exclusion.


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HEAReligibility:

Indicator 1 + 2 plus 4,5 or 6

Indicator 1 + 3 plus 4, 5 or 6

Indicator 1 + 4 plus 5 or 6


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HEAR: participating HEIs DCU

DIT

NUI Galway

NUI Maynooth

Trinity College Dublin

UCD UCC

UL

Marino Institute ofEducation

Church of Ireland College

of Education Froebet College of

Education

Mary Immaculate College

Mater Dei Institute ofEducation

St. Angelas College

St. Patricks College,Drumcondra


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HEARapplication procedure: Apply online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application

process by Feb 1 2013.

Indicate that they wish to be considered for HEAR in the

appropriate section of the application form by Feb 1. student will then be directed to a separate online HEAR

application form.

Complete a number of additional questions relating to:his/her familys financial situation; employment status of

parents; school(s) attended. Submit supporting documentation (e.g. P21, Notice of

Assessment etc.) by 1 April 2013.

Applications for HEAR can only be made online.


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Restricted-Application Courses: Certain courses are Restricted. They have

early assessment procedureswhich may

start as early as Februaryand, therefore,must be mentioned in an application in time(i.e by the 1st Feb.) for HEIs to arrange theseprocedures.

You MUST check the relevant prospectus fordetails. They will also be marked restrictedin your CAO handbook.


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MEDICINE(now a restricted entry):

To compete for entry to undergraduate medicine

students must both (1) achieve a minimum of 480points (2) meet the minimum entry requirementsand (3) sit the HPAT Ireland test.

The points and the minimum entry requirements

must be got in ONE sitting of the LeavingCertificate.

The HPAT test results is valid for 2 years.


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HPAT-Ireland:

2.5 hour paper-based test.

Multiple Choice

Consists of 3 modules:

- Logical Reasoning and Problem-Solving

- Interpersonal Understanding

- Non-Verbal Reasoning.


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Application Procedure and Cost:

Students must first apply to the CAOwww.cao.ieto get their CAO number.

Then they must apply directly to ACER(Australian Council for EducationalResearch). This is done online at www.hpat-

ireland.acer.edu.au The cost of applying will be approx.95.


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Test Date and Centre: Only one date will be given for the HPAT-

Ireland.

Test centres will be located in Cork, Dublin,the North-West and the South-East (details tobe confirmed). First come first served basis.


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Non-EU Students:

Need to be an EU national or have refugee statusand in Ireland 3 out of the last 5 years to qualify for

free fees. If not resident for 3 years then fees will have to be

paid at the non-EU level.

It is important that a non-EU candidate state that

they are of this status on their CAO form. Documented proof will then be requested and must

be provided by the candidate.


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Minimum Entry Requirements: You must meet minimum entry requirements

before you may be considered for entry to

your chosen courses. Consult HEI prospectus (college booklet) for

details and information before applying forany course.

Regardless of the points you achieve, youwill not be accepted by a HEI if you do notmeet their minimum entry requirements


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Examples of Minimum EntryRequirements:

National University of Ireland (NUI)

Colleges (UCD, UCC, NUIM, NUIG) +RCSI, St. Angelas College, ShannonCollege of Hotel Management:

Require English, Irish & 3rd language

2HC3 + 4ODC


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Examples continued:University of Limerick (UL) & Trinity CollegeDublin

English, Mathematics & Another Language 3HC3 + 3OD3

Dublin City University (DCU):

English or Irish, Mathematics

2HC3 + 4OD3Institutes of Technology (ITs)

Level 8: 2HC3 & 4OD3

Level 6 & 7: 5OD3


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Exceptions to the 3rd Language:

Engineering & Agricultural courses at UCD

Engineering and Science courses at NUIMaynooth.

Engineering and Science Courses in NUIGalway (except GY304),

Engineering, Science, Food Science in UCC. Nursing courses accept Irish instead of a

Third Language.


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Specific Entry Requirements:Examples

Primary TeachingHC3 in Irish

Engineering at Level 8 (Hons)HC3Mathematics (certain HEIs)

Veterinary MedicineHC3 Chemistry

Cadets in the Defence ForceOD3 in aContinental Language

Human Nutrition/DieteticsHC3 Chemistry


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Exemptions from Irish and/or 3rdLanguage:

Students may apply for a college exemption for Irish and/ora Third Language on the grounds of:

A Specific Learning Difficulty e.g. Dyslexia (Irish and/orLanguage exemption).

Being born and/or living abroad for a period of time (Irishexemption only).

Students would need to have a school exemption from theprincipal and then apply for an exemption from the NUI andNon-NUI colleges. A recent psychological report will beneeded for exemption on the grounds of a SLD (no morethan 3 years old).


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POINTS System: Calculated from ONE Leaving Certificate.

SIX best subjects

Bonus points are awarded for Honours Maths


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POINTS System:Leaving Certificate Grade Higher Paper Leaving Certificate Grade Lower Paper

A1 100

A2 90

B1 85

B2 80

B3 75

C1 70

C2 65

C3 60 A1 60

D1 55 A2 50

D2 50 B1 45

D3 45 B2 40

B3 35

C1 30

C2 25

C3 20

D1 15

D2 10

D3 5


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Mathematics:

Leaving Cert.Grade

Bonus Points forHons. Maths

Standard Pointsfor Foundation

MathsA1 40 20

A2 35 15

B1 30 10

B2 25 5B3 20

C1 15

C2 10

C3 5


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How CAO places are allocated: I will look just at Level 8 courses, but

exactly the same process will take place with

Level 7/6 courses, and at the same time. The importance of the student placing

courses in genuine order of preference will

become apparent in the following slides.


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How places are allocated cont. When examination results are released in

August they are entered into the CAO

computer. The computer checks each students results.

For each course the student has applied for,

the computer first determines if the studenthas the minimum entry requirements for thecourse.


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How places are allocated cont. If the student meets the minimum entry

requirements for the course, the students

points are calculated for this course choice. All eligible students are then placed in a list,

in order of academic merit, for each course

that they applied for.


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How places are allocated cont.

The admissions officers of the Higher

Education Institutions tell CAO how many

places are to be offered on each course

CAO then makes offers to the required

number of students on each course starting

with the student with the highest points andworking down until enough places have been

offered.


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How places are allocated cont. Should some students decide not to accept their

offers these places become available in the next

round of offers. They will be offered to the nextstudents on the order of merit list.

This process continues until all the places on thecourse are filled or until all the eligible students on

the order of merit list have been offered places.


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These are the students for CK101 Arts in UCC.

The examination results have not yet been released, so thesestudents are in no particular order.

We are going to trace the progress of the student marked in red.


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students are placed in a queue for each course they applied for, their

position in the queue is determined by their points. The student withthe highest points is placed at the top of the queue. The points

achieved by the student in red determines his position in the queue for

each course he applied to.


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The students marked in green have enough points to be offered places.

The student marked in red has enough points for his second preference.


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The student in red is offered his second preference, the highestpreference course that he has enough points for, and he will nowdisappear from the queue in all his lower choices. Placing DN201 as hissecond preference meant that he would prefer to receive an offer onDN201 than on any other course except CK101 - which is his first

preference.


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Having been offered his second preference he must now decide to acceptit or to do nothing. If he does not accept the offer the place will beoffered to another student in the next round of offers.

Regardless of whether he accepts or not he will still be considered for anoffer on his first preference if a place becomes available. In the secondround, one more offer was made on CK101 and our student is now at thetop of the queue.


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In the third round of offers two more offers are made on CK101 andour student, who was at the top of the queue, now receives an offer.

He may do nothing and remain in DN201 or he may accept the offer

and begin in CK101.


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Genuine Order of Preference You do not need to guess what the points are

going to be for the courses you are interested in.

Simply list your courses in genuine order of

preference, that is, the course you like the best is

number1, to the lowest preference 10.

If you are entitled to an offer, you will be offered

the highest preference that you are entitled to.


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Concluding CAO

Remember to carefully read all of the documents

and instructions from CAO. Most students follow the simple instructions from

CAO and get along just fine.

If you are unclear on any matter concerning theapplication process, please contact the CAO.


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Contact Details:

Nuala Brady

Tel.: 01-4554691

Email: [email protected]


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THANK YOU

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