CAO issues more than 3,000 Round Two course offers

The CAO has distributed over 3,000 offers in Round Two of the CAO process. This round comprised 2,507 Level 8 offers and 921 Level 7/6 offers to a total of 3,197 applicants. Approximately 1,270 applicants were receiving their initial offer. Among those who received Level 8 offers, 1,089 had their first preference course selected.

Eighty percent of recipients of Level 7/6 offers obtained their first preference course. Applicants have until 3pm on Wednesday, September 9th to either accept or decline their new offer. If they choose not to accept the new offer, their previous acceptance will remain in effect. CAO spokesperson Eileen Keleghan noted that some applicants may already have accepted a Round One offer.

Accepting the new offer will automatically cancel their initial acceptance. She emphasized that applicants should take their time to decide between courses and inform the CAO by the 3pm deadline on September 9th if they wish to accept the new offer. For those who are first-time applicants, accepting an offer will not preclude them from receiving a higher-preference course in subsequent offer rounds if they are eligible.

However, most offers have been issued, and this may be the only offer some applicants receive. Ms. Keleghan also highlighted other alternatives for those unsuccessful in securing an offer, including further education courses, apprenticeship schemes, reapplying through the CAO the following year, or repeating the Leaving Cert. The Available Places facility currently lists nearly 150 courses, and additional offers will be issued weekly from September 9th until early October.

Applicants can check their Round Two offer status by logging into their CAO account starting at 2pm on September 9th. Successful applicants will receive an offer notification via email and SMS text message if they have opted for these methods. The points charts will be accessible on the CAO website by 4pm on September 9th.