LAST UPDATE | 28 Apr

DID YOU MISS out on making a CAO application the last time around?

Well, never fear – you have until Friday to lodge a late CAO application. 

The closing date for normal applications was 1 February, and applicants were given a chance last month to avail of the change of mind option, that has since closed.

The late application facility opened on 5 March and will remain open until 5pm on Friday, 1 May. There is a fee of €65 for this type of application. 

It is not generally accessible for students applying for restricted courses – such as courses that involve an audition, exam, or a portfolio submission – or if you are a mature applicant.

If you fall into either of these categories but wish to make a late application, you must contact the Higher Education Institutes you intend to apply to before making a late application. You cannot apply late for HEAR or DARE schemes.

If you make a late application, it’s still not your final say in what you want to do. The change of mind facility will open next week from 5 May to 1 July, allowing students one more chance to reorder, change, or add new (non-restricted) courses.

“If you’re considering it, definitely do it,” career guidance councillor Donnchadh O’Mahony told The Journal. “For the sake of €65, it gives you another option if that’s what you’re looking for.”

He said any offer received doesn’t have to be accepted, but if third-level education is something you’re considering, it’s better to not totally rule it out.

If a four-year degree feels too daunting, or something that you can’t quite commit to, level 6 and 7 degrees are another great option, he said. They are also able to be applied for through the CAO.

For level 6 and 7 degrees, “you’re only committing to two years for a level six, and at the end of that two years what you can do if you want – you don’t necessarily have to – is go onto your level seven, or you can leave college with your award.

“Then you can go back at any stage if you have recognised prior learning for that as well,” he said. These degrees are “brilliant” options as they’re shorter and generally require lower points with the ability to progress if wanted.

“It might be ideal for people who are not sure if they want to commit to four years.”

O’Mahony has a website that offers a 30-minute test to narrow down courses that suit the applicant if they are still trying to figure out what they want to pursue. Otherwise, it’s a question of sitting down and taking a proper look at what’s on offer.

He said this can be narrowed down if a student has a college or colleges in mind they would prefer to attend, or if they know roughly the field they’d like to go into.

He also recommended looking at the details of each course, as universities with courses of the same name may have quite different elective modules that could suit the applicant more.

For those who are applying with the idea in mind to defer, he cautioned that this is not always so simple and some colleges have quite strict deferral rules. This should be checked with the individual institution.

Late applications can be made here.