CAO Points

Cabinet to approve 1,056 extra college places to ease pressure on CAO

The Cabinet will approve an extra 1,056 college places today to ease the pressure for entry to a number of CAO courses brought on by the third year of Covid-related Leaving Cert grade inflation.

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Patricia Scanlon Opinion If you are filling out your CAO form, then you might want to come and shape the future as a software engineer

All over the country, sixth years have been grappling with one of the biggest choices they’ve ever faced – what to put down on the CAO form. In one way or another, we’ve all been there, in that we’ve all had to try and figure out what to do with our lives.

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Paul McNeive Opinion Working in property is no longer toxic, so what are the career options – and how do you get in?

A toxicity around property after the last financial crash saw degree courses in property, land, and construction struggling to survive, with mere handfuls of students choosing careers in these areas.

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The student’s perspective: Leaving Cert reform is a welcome step in the right direction but the devil is in the detail

Yesterday, Education Minister Norma Foley announced plans for Leaving Certificate reform. From my experience in school and hearing the thoughts of other students on this announcement, I believe the reforms promised are a step in the right direction.

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CAO cools a little, but there is still fierce competition ahead for some courses

Fierce competition for prestigious college courses is set to continue this year on the back of a third year of Covid-era Leaving Cert grade inflation.

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Pól Ó Dochartaigh Opinion 2022 will be a tough year for CAO applicants and colleges alike

The latest CAO application figures are in and they show a mixed picture. After an 8pc jump in applications last year the numbers have gone down slightly, but this is entirely due to a drop in mature applications, no doubt a consequence of the greater availability of jobs as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic. The number of school-leaving applicants has stayed at last year’s high.

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Shane Coleman Opinion Our politicians’ indecision is final — on Leaving Cert, pensions and more

Irish politics is broken. Forget hopeful declarations about the “centre holding”. Populism is our only ideology, with policy positions dictated by fingers held aloft in the air — or, worse, pressed on smartphones and Twitter.

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CAO season kicks off with new website that also links to PLC courses and apprenticeships

The 2022 college application season kicks off today with a new-style CAO website offering a one-stop shop of the main study and career pathways, and not just points-driven degree courses.

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CAO second round delivers mixed bag of offers, with some big drops in points

The second round of CAO offers delivered a mixed bag, with some big drops in points but no new offers made for most college courses.

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Today is the final day to call Leaving Cert helpline

Today is the final day of the National Parents’ Council Leaving Certificate helpline, which parents and students can call with queries or concerns over their Leaving Cert results and college offers.

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No certainty for those who missed college offer due to data gap

Leaving Cert candidates who missed out on a college offer because they had not provided all their details to the CAO have until Monday to update their information – but there is no guarantee of getting the college place this year.

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Cabinet to sign off on €24m package to provide 4,620 extra college places

 

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DEIS pupils outperform grind-school students with same CAO points at college

Students from DEIS schools serving disadvantaged communities are more likely to finish college than a past pupil of a grind school with similar Leaving Cert results.

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Simon Harris wants students to think beyond CAO points and degrees

Simon Harris wants to take the focus off CAO points and university degrees as the main goal of school-leavers.

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CAO points race set to heat up as students take grades gamble

Points for medicine and other elite courses look set to rise in the wake of the cancellation of the Leaving Cert.

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'People are worried about the cost' - CAO points for some Dublin college courses fall amid accommodation crisis

The President of the Union of Students in Ireland has said the worsening accommodation crisis in the capital is forcing students to look at regional college options.

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CAO points for college entry have crashed the 600-point limit for the first time

CAO points for college entry have crashed the 600-point limit for the first time.

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Worthy college alternatives if you don't get enough CAO points

With just over a week to go until this year's Leaving Cert finishes up, the countdown for exam results will soon be on. Many of today's school-leavers will be relying on those results - due out in mid-August - for a place in college. Those concerned that they have not done as well in their Leaving Cert as they had hoped should note that college is not the only path to a successful career.

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CAO points fall again... but the demand for 'boom-time' jobs rises

The points race has slowed for the second year in a row, but the chase for careers in the growing economy kept a sharp edge on competition for CAO courses leading to 'boom-time' jobs.

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Now Leaving Cert students can get CAO points in sport, dance

Second-level pupils entering fifth year in September will be the first to get marks in the Leaving Certificate - and CAO points - for performance in sport, dance or other physical activity.

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It is possible to achieve the maximum 625 CAO points and not get a place in medicine

The Leaving Certificate exams finish on Friday and the HPAT results will follow soon afterwards.

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A new CAO points scale for students sitting the Leaving Certificate in 2017 has been unveiled

A new CAO points scale for students sitting the Leaving Certificate in 2017 has been unveiled.

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Additional CAO points in Leaving Cert for athletes

One of Ireland's oldest universities is to renew a programme that allows top performing young athletes get up to 40 additional CAO points in their Leaving Cert.

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Combining your CAO points and HPAT score for undergraduate medicine

Next Monday, the results of the HPAT for entry to undergraduate medicine will be released.