My daughter, who is in sixth year, is determined on becoming a nurse. I worry that she won’t get the CAO points based on her exam results to date. Are there any other options outside the points race?
Entry into general nursing has been a challenge for many Leaving Cert students since it became a four-year level-eight degree programme just over 20 years ago – but things are changing.
While CAO points climbed to high levels, they have been falling thanks to the restoration of hundreds of places that were axed during the financial downturn.
In addition, there is a new tertiary degree option since 2023, outside the CAO process, which does not require points. It has the potential to be a game-changer for many locked out of courses such as nursing due to high points requirements. You can find more details online (nto.ie).
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My daughter wants to study nursing but I worry that CAO points are too high. Are there other options?
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These tertiary nursing degree places in general nursing are available through Munster Technological University (MTU) and Atlantic Technological University (ATU).
In these courses, students spend their first year in a local further education or a post-Leaving Cert course (PLC) and, having successfully completed the exams, transfer to their local technological university to complete the degree, without having to submit any further applications to the CAO.
PLCs have always offered these kinds of one-year level-five pre-nursing programmes – the problem was the lack of certainty about whether it would lead to a place in a nursing degree programme. This has been addressed in the new pathway.
Another options is Hibernia College, the online provider of both primary and post-primary teacher training. Last year it launched a level-eight honours degree general nursing programme. Applicants must hold a Leaving Cert with a minimum grade of H5 in two subjects and a minimum grade of O6/H7 in four additional subjects. Fees are almost €8,000 per year over a three-year programme.
This degree programme is full-time. While theory is taught online, about 50 per cent of the programme takes place in clinical learning environments, the majority of which occur during June, July and August with specialist placement windows in October/November. You can find more details online (hiberniacollege.com).
The effect of all of the above developments is that general nursing is now well within reach for the average student.
CAO points requirements for general nursing dropped in 2024. They were lowest in Castlebar (342), Letterkenny (343), Sligo (346) and Tralee (352) and higher in Trinity [Meath & St James’s] (392), UCD (410), DCU (411) and Waterford (418).
Expect a similar pattern next year.
Given the options outlined above the well-motivated average aspiring nurse can now secure a pathway into a general nursing degree programme on the island of Ireland.
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