Leaving Cert students 2023: Now is the time to apply for restricted access courses

Restricted application courses must be on the CAO list by 5pm on February 1. Photo: Getty/Picture posed

Donnchadh O'Mahony

January 25 2023 02:30 AM

With a week to go to the CAO February 1 deadline, it is important for students to know whether they are applying for restricted courses or not.

While applicants don’t need to have their course list filled or completed until July, anyone applying for restricted application courses must have these on the CAO list by 5pm on February 1.

Certain CAO courses are designated as ‘restricted application’ because they have additional assessment procedures. There are other courses that might require applicants to have additional entry criteria but that do not have an early deadline.

The restrictions apply to courses that use selection procedures in addition to Leaving Cert results. Each course is clearly marked ‘restricted’ in the CAO handbook. The category includes most art and design courses (portfolio), music or drama studies (audition), some architecture courses (portfolio) as well as medical degree programmes (HPAT).

A restricted application course will not be considered by colleges unless an applicant has included it among course choices by the deadline, or added it to their application using the ‘change of course choices’ facility, for an additional €10 fee, before March 1.

Restricted courses may not be added during the ‘change of mind’, May-July period. Restricted courses that are included in ‘late applications’ are invalid choices and will not be considered.

However, there is an exception to this rule. If a restricted course shares the exact same assessment procedures as a course for which an applicant applied by February 1, they may be permitted to introduce it when the ‘change of mind’ opens. Applicants should consult with the relevant college.

If an applicant is unsure about whether they want to apply for a restricted course or not, a recommendation I give is to put it down on their CAO list by February 1. Then, when the CAO ‘change of mind’ opens, the applicant can take it off their list if they wish. Graduate entry into Medicine and Veterinary Medicine is also restricted. Applicants must apply to sit the GAMSAT as well as applying to the CAO.

Some third level institutions treat mature applications in the ‘restricted’ category, particularly if those courses require mature applicants to take any assessment tests. If applicants are applying for mature entry to primary teaching in Dublin City University, Marino Institute of Education, Mary Immaculate College Limerick, or Maynooth University, they must apply to CAO by 5pm on February 1.

Mature applicants applying for entry to nursing or midwifery based on mature years are ranked based on their score in the NMBI (Nursing and Midwifery of Ireland) assessment process. The current assessment comprises three separate tests, understanding of basic instructions, numeracy, and job simulation exercise.

Donnchadh O’Mahony is a guidance counsellor at Loreto College, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin

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