Q: If I didn't get any letter from the CAO this morning, does it mean that I got no course offers in any of my choices?
A:
Not necessarily so. Sometimes for any number of reasons the offers do not arrive in the post this morning and even if you had received no offer you would still get correspondence from the CAO. My advice is to go online and check your CAO account to see what is there.
Q: If I ignore all offers this year because my choices have changed utterly can I apply to CAO again next year? Thanks
A:
Yes you can. I would advise you to decline your offers. No one will know if point swill go up from 2014 to 2015. Keep that in mind. Be sure that you satisfy minimum entry also.
If you got an offer on a course of interest look into deferring your place. You would need to make direct contact with the college.
Q: I'm just wondering do I include LCVP score as one of the 6 subjects or do I add it on to find the overall points?
A:
In calculating points you add the scores from your six best subjects or your five best subjects plus your LCVP score. Take whichever is higgest as your points score for college entry.
Q: If I accept a place in college on Monday but later on get offered one of my higher choices can I take that one over one I had accepted first?
A:
Yes, absolutely. If you accept for example your 6th preference course on Monday and then in round two become entitled to your 3rd preference course then you will be offered it and can accept it regardless of what you have already accepted in round one. You can always hope to move up your list of preference but never down.
Q: I do not want my first choice (for which I have got the points). If I turn it down what are my chances of getting an offer for my lower choices?
A:
If you get offered your first choice then as far as the CAO are concerned you have got the course you most want to get into and they will not offer you any further courses on that list. You can never go down to a lower course on your list of courses.
Q: My son has put down UCD for first three choices on CAO. Given his points, looks like he will be offered at least one of these choices. For financial reasons, we cannot allow him to take any of these offers. His 4th and 5th choices are in a university near us. Does he ignore or reject the offers and will he or could he hold out and be offered his 4th or 5th choice, which is in a university near us?
A:
Once an applicant is offered a course on his/her list of course preferences he/she cannot move to a course below the one he/she has been offered. So if your son gets offered one of his top three courses which are in UCD he will not be able to get down to his 4th or 5th preference choices. The system is designed to allow a student to move up his choices if possible but never down.
Q: If I am offered my second choice I will accept. However if the points drop sufficiently for my first choice in the second round will I receive an offer and can I accept although I have already accepted my second option?
A:
Yes, if you get your 2nd choice and accept it in round 1 all your higher choices may be offered to you in round 2 - regardless of whether you accepted your round 1 place or not.
If you do accept your 2nd choice in round 1 and then get offered your top choice in round 2 you can actually stick with the first one you accepted or give that up in favour of your top choice in round 2.
Q: If you resit the leaving can you carry forward any points from the first one?
A:
Unfortunately not. Points can only be calculated from a single sitting of the Leaving Certificate, so that means if you resit the Leaving Cert you cannot combine both Leaving Certificates to calculate your points. If you are repeating the Leaving Cert you need to take at least 6 subjects as obviously your top 6 subjects are used to calculate your points.
When someone repeats the Leaving Certificate it is important that both exam numbers are given to CAO on the application form so that the points total for both Leaving Certs can be calculated and the best used.
Q: My son passed five subjects but has a E grade in sixth subject. If he gets an upgrade he will have points needed for his course. If his recheck/appeal is successful will he still be able to get a place on his chosen course this year or will the delay mean he would have to wait till next year?
A:
Generally if an applicant is entitled to a place on a course due to an upgrade in October then he must be offered a place on that course in October. However in a small minority of cases the college may not have the capacity to offer a place at this stage and must then offer a deferred (guaranteed place) for the following year.
