Applying to college

The closing date for applying to college was 1 February. Can I still apply?

You apply for almost all full-time undergraduate courses through the Central Applications Office (CAO). This includes, for example, university, technical university and institute of technology undergraduate courses such as Higher Certificates at Level 6 and degrees at Levels 7 and 8.

The closing date for 2019 CAO applications was February 1, 2019. However, you can still apply. Late applications are allowed up to 5.15pm on May 1, 2019. There is a fee to apply for courses through the CAO and late applications are subject to an increased fee. Late online applications cost €60.

You can change the courses you picked or the order of courses on your application from February 5 to March 1 at 5.15 p.m. for a fee of €10. Another Change of Mind facility opens on May 5 and closes on July 1 at 5.15 p.m. and is free of charge.

You must apply to the CAO by February 1, 2019 if you want to be assessed as a mature applicant, or if you want to be considered for the HEAR and/or DARE schemes. There are also some restricted courses which you cannot apply for after February 1, 2019. The CAO provides a handbook that lists all the courses on offer and gives information on how to apply.

Decisions on offers of places are normally made in August and September, after the results of the Leaving Certificate have come out. You can find a detailed schedule of the offer rounds in the CAO handbook. It is important to note that there is no central applications body for Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. Students must apply directly to the individual colleges. You should check the closing date for PLC courses with the individual college.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.