CAO 2021 Opens - Top tips for applicants
Applications for CAO 2021 opens online at www.cao.ie on November 5th at 12.00 noon for school leavers, students from colleges of further education and training who wish to progress on higher education, college students who want to change courses and mature students (over the age of 23) who want to return to education. With hundreds of courses on offer there are plenty of options available for applicants. It is important to do lots of research into the detail of all courses of interest before deciding on what to include in your application and you have plenty of time to do so.
You can start you application by logging on to www.cao.ie and clicking on ‘Apply’. You will need to input personal details, pay the fee of €30 (discounted fee up to Jan 20th) and create an account password. Once you do so you will get your CAO number and every time you log in using the ‘My Application’ tab you will need this along with your password and date of birth. Ensure that you use an email address that is used regularly and that your mobile number and all contact details are correct in the application as all correspondence from CAO is important. Once you have registered you have until February 1st at 5.15pm to add in and change courses. You will also get the opportunity to make changes to course choices (apart from ‘restricted courses’) when the Change of Mind Facility opens on May 5th, right up to the 1st of July at 5.15pm which is the absolute deadline. So no need to panic, there is plenty time for you to make choices.
Applicants have the option of including 20 choices, 10 choices on Level 8 (Honours Bachelor Degrees) and 10 choices on Level 7/6 (Ordinary Bachelor Degrees & Higher Certificates. Most level 7/6 courses have progression routes on to Level 8 programmes, the details of which you can check on the college websites. It is important to fill out options on both lists to give you the best chance of getting 2 offers (one from each list) when the CAO offers are issued. The golden rule of filling up the CAO is that you must list your courses Order of Preference which is why it is so important to use your time wisely now to do plenty research on the course details so that you can make an informed choice. Lots of Virtual Open days are happening from now up to Christmas and indeed throughout the year to help with your research. Recordings of talks from such events are available on the college websites.
Students who applying for the HEAR or the DARE schemes will be required to fill in supplementary forms later but apply for CAO in the normal way. See www.accesscollege.ie for details. QQI FET/FETAC applicants will need to supply a PPS number so that CAO can obtain examination details directly from QQI. Students who are enrolled in a 3rd level college course and who wish to change course will need documentation from that college. Mature students (aged 23 on or before 1 January in the year of entry) will need to complete a Mature Applicant Form so as to be carefully evaluated by the HEIs (Higher Education Institutions). Some institutions many also conduct assessments and interviews for mature students so it is important to contact the colleges for such information.
A Demo Application is available in the ‘Student resources’ section of the CAO website which is really helpful to take a look at before starting an application. There are also very helpful video guides for applicants and parents. So there are lots of resources available and time is on your side so start your research now in planning for the next step in your education, regardless of what stage you are at. Invest in your education now and enhance your employment opportunities in the future.