Q&A: Everything you need to know about CAO offers and what to do ...

Here, we take a look at some of the main questions students and their parents may have.

Q: Is grade inflation likely to impact the CAO this year?

A: The short answer is yes, but we won’t know the full extent of it until the first round of cut-off points are published later today. A number of factors influence whether a course’s points go up or down, mainly supply and demand. This year’s Leaving Cert results are no lower than 2022’s following a direction from the Minister for Education Norma Foley. As grade inflation has increased, so have incidences where entry to high-point courses has been determined by random selection. This meant students who secured top marks missed out on their chosen course essentially due to a lottery. We may see this repeated this year. 

However, a number of new places have also been created at courses across the country, including 460 additional places across a range of healthcare disciplines. It is worth remembering that a few different factors influence whether or not a course's cut-off points go up or down. Due to supply and demand, points can go up, down, or stay the same during any CAO round. There is never any fail-safe way to predict this in advance.

Q: What should I do if I receive the offer I want?

A: If you receive the offer for a college course you want to accept, make sure you do not miss the deadline to accept. If you do, the place will be offered to another student. You may only accept one offer, in any one round, from either the Level 8 or the Level 7/6 list. The deadline to accept Round 1 offers is September 5 at 3pm.

Q: What happens if I receive an offer, but it’s not the college course I really want, and I don’t want to accept it?

A: If you are sure this offer is one that you absolutely do not want, you do not need to accept it. You don’t need to take any further action, and your name will remain on the waiting list for any courses higher up on your list of preferences.

 Keep in mind that per the CAO, accepting an earlier offer round will not prevent you from receiving another in a subsequent round of a course higher up on your course choices list if you are deemed eligible. If a place becomes available in a later round, and you are entitled to this place, you may receive an offer that you can choose to accept or ignore. 

Q: What should I do if I don’t receive an offer?

A: First of all, don’t panic. If you don’t receive an offer today, you could receive one in the next round. Round 2 offers will be issued to students on September 11 from 2pm. 

In the meantime, you should familiarise yourself with the Available Places facility from the CAO. These are places that remain unfilled after all offers have been made and waiting lists have been exhausted. You can ignore the previously published points in earlier offer rounds, but you must check that you meet the normal minimum entry requirements for the courses in question.

Q: I'm appealing a Leaving Cert grade, how does that affect the CAO process? 

A: If you have requested to appeal some of your Leaving Certificate results, and if your results are changed on appeal and you are deemed entitled to a place on a course, you will receive an offer. If all of the places for that course have already been allocated, you will receive a deferral of the offer for the following academic year.

 The decision to offer a place is made by the college in question and not the CAO. Keep in mind, there is no date confirmed yet as to when Leaving Cert appeal results will be published. 

Q: What should I do if I receive an offer but want to defer it? 

A: Do not accept your offer through the CAO. Instead, email the admissions office of the college in question. Give your name as it appears on your CAO application, quote your CAO application number and the course code of the offer you wish to defer, and set out the reasons for the request. 

You need to get in contact with them at least two days before the reply date shown on your offer notice. The college will let you know directly whether or not the deferral has been granted. 

Q: After I accept my offer, what should I do next to prepare for college? 

A: If you are heading away to college in a different county, and you haven't already done so, you need to prioritise accommodation. Make sure you link in with any accommodation officers and student union reps who are available to offer advice and support. You can also check online but make sure to keep alert to potential rental scams which typically tend to target students at this time of year. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

 To keep yourself safe, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and Threshold recommend inspecting properties in person, and not ignoring red flags like low rent, a landlord living abroad or foreign bank account details. If you are finding it extremely difficult to sort accommodation for the year, you can write to your college seeking a deferral.