THE CAO HAS reminded students that the deadline for college applications is a mere four days away.

In a reminder that will give many of us sweaty palms, the body which processes applications from Leaving Cert students has said that the clock is ticking.

The general manager of the CAO says that now is the time to apply, particularly for those applying for restricted-category courses.

O’Grady, says potential applicants who have not yet started their application should carefully read the CAO Handbook and go to the website to start their application.

“It is extremely important that applicants start their application before the weekend in order to avoid any issues that may arise if they leave their application to the last minute,” he said.

“We appreciate that the completion of a CAO application can be quite a stressful time for applicants, but the most important step at this stage is to get registered on the system in order to avoid disappointment.”

Those who miss the deadline face paying a €50 fee up until 1 May, but O’Grady says that can be easily avoided.

“Every year a number of applicants leave the submission of their application to the last couple of hours, or even minutes, without thinking about the consequences of their browser timing out, their internet connection failing, or payment issues. In order to be fair to all applicants strict deadlines apply, and applicants should submit their application in a timely manner,” he said.

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