CAO points 2026: Live updates as round one offers to be released

The Central Applications Office (CAO) in Ireland is set to release round-one offers to candidates online today at 2pm. This process marks the beginning of the higher education application cycle for the upcoming academic year.

Candidates can expect to see the minimum points required for entry to each course listed on the CAO website shortly after the offers are made. This information is crucial for students to understand their chances of securing a place on their desired course.

For those who are unhappy with their grades, the option to view their marked exam scripts is available online without any charge. This allows students to assess whether they believe they could have achieved a higher grade and qualify for a different course.

Students who wish to appeal their Leaving Cert results have until a certain date to submit their requests through the SEC Student Portal. The final step in this process is the release of the results of these appeals by the State Examinations Commission (SEC).

The CAO also makes available round-two offers to applicants online, with the minimum points required for each course published on the CAO website later on the same day. This second round of offers provides additional opportunities for candidates who did not secure a place in the first round.

It's important to note that the results of Leaving Cert appeals can lead to students receiving a new offer for a course higher up their preferred order of preference. This could be for the 2026 academic year, but in cases where there is no capacity to accommodate additional students, the offer might be for 2027 instead.