Now is the Time to Rethink your CAO Choices
May 5th marks the opening of the CAO Change of Mind facility for 2026 applicants. Most students submitted their CAO applications back in January. Since then, a lot may have changed. Subjects that once felt manageable may now feel more challenging. New interests may have developed. Conversations with family, friends, guidance counsellors and college staff can shift perspective. This is exactly why the Change of Mind facility exists — not as a backup plan, but as a key part of making a well-informed decision.
From May 5th at 12pm until July 1st at 5pm, students can log in and add, remove, or reorder their course choices free of charge, with some restrictions. Many students rush their original CAO form just to “get it done,” adding courses that they may not have researched thoroughly or those which were of interest at the time but may not now feel like the right fit. This is the moment to pause and reassess properly.
Students should take time now to research course content (not just titles), explore progression routes, and think honestly about what suits them — their strengths, their interests, and how they like to learn. Visiting college websites, exploring career options from the courses and speaking with people already in those fields can bring real clarity.
For parents, your role is crucial — but it’s not to steer the ship. It’s to create the space for good decisions. Ask questions, encourage exploration, and challenge assumptions, but avoid pushing toward what you think is “safe” or “secure.” Those choices often lead to disengagement later on which can result in a student dropping out of their chosen course.
One principle should guide every Change of Mind decision: list courses in genuine order of preference, not based on expected points. The CAO system will always offer the highest preference course a student qualifies for — so sticking to this rule when ranking courses is critical. Important also to remind students that there are two lists – Level 8 (Honours degrees) and Level 7/6 (Ordinary degrees and Higher diplomas). Up to ten choices can be added to each list, giving a total of twenty course options to every applicant. That’s twenty chances to secure a place on a course of interest.
Used properly, the Change of Mind facility gives students the chance to move from rushed decisions to deliberate choices, and that shift can make all the difference.