Frequently Asked Questions

How do I accept an Offer?

Offers may be viewed and accepted online at the CAO web-site (www.cao.ie) from 6:00am on the Monday after the Leaving Certificate results have issued. You can then specify the course of your choice from a list of courses available to be accepted.  The procedure for accepting an offer received in the post is printed on the back of the offer notice.  If you wish to accept an offer, you must return the appropriate part of the notice to the CAO, Tower House, Eglington Street, Galway to arrive no later than the date specified on the offer notice.  As only one offer may be accepted, care is required to return the correct part. You are also advised to obtain a certificate of posting.

How do I interpret the standard offer notice and determine which course I have been offered?

The Standard Offer Notice has three parts. Part A lists your level 8 and level 7/6 Course Choices in order of preference with your corresponding  points score, and your examination results.  Parts B and C show the code(s) for the course(s) being offered, Level 8 and/or Level7/Level 6.

As only the course code is shown in each case you will need to consult the CAO Handbook or the CAO Points Table printed in the national newspapers to check the full title of the course. Ensure to keep a copy of the WIT brochure for reference purposes.

How do I know that my acceptance has been registered?

For those who have accepted an offer online, on completion of the procedure you can print out an acceptance receipt and then check your acceptance online after three working days. Formal confirmation of receipt of acceptance will also be made by post within 3 working days of the Reply Date.

What if I have received more than one offer from the CAO?

• Online: On the CAO website click View/Accept Offers then simply enter your 8 digit CAO number and your date of birth. You can then specify one course of your choice from a list of courses available to be accepted.
• On the CAO Standard Offer Notice: the Level 8 and Level 7/Level 6 lists operate independently, so it is quite possible to receive two offers simultaneously on Parts B and C of the Offer Notice.  In this case, you can only accept one offer and must disregard the other. Should both parts be returned, the CAO at its sole discretion will record an acceptance for only one course, the other will lapse.

In making your choice, it's worth noting that while Level 8 courses are well favoured, Level 6/Level 7 courses in the desired subject are excellent qualifications in their own right, with excellent employment prospects and opportunities for further studies with a well established route from Level 6 to Level 7 to Level 8. Remember also that accepting or rejecting an offer from either list at this stage will not exclude you from being offered a higher preference from either or both lists in later rounds, assuming there are vacancies available and points fall sufficiently.

What if I have been offered a course from the Level 7/Level 6 list, but nothing from the Level 8 list?

This would suggest that you don't have enough points or meet the minimum entry requirements for your Level 8 choices. You can accept your Level 7/Level 6 offer now and could receive an offer of a Level 8 course in later rounds should the points fall sufficiently and you meet the minimum entry requirements.

What if I get my first preference but I don't want it?

If you're offered your first preference in either the Level 8 or Level 7/Level 6 list it is assumed that you've been offered what you really wanted and no further offers will be made from that list.  The basic rule is that only higher preference choices  can be offered in later rounds. At this point, you will need to carefully consider all your options, which for some may even include re-applying through the CAO  the following year.

Can I still change my mind at this stage?

No, there is no facility at this stage to change your course choices or the order of preference. The closing date for the CAO Change of Mind Option is 1st July.

I seem to have enough points but haven't been offered the course.

In addition to points, each higher education institution has its own basic minimum entry requirements and some courses may also require particular subjects/grades regarded as relevant to your course choice.  Just in case, you should re-calculate your points based on your six best subjects of one sitting of the Leaving Certificate, taking into account that institutions differ in the points they award for LCVP results, and check the WIT prospectus for minimum entry and specific course requirements.

If you don't meet the minimum or specific course requirements, an * will appear immediately to the right of a Course Code in Part A of the Offer Notice, indicating the educational institution in question considers you ineligible for admission to that course.

It is also possible, that if there is an * beside the points required for the course on the CAO points table printed in national newspapers, that random selection applies in your case. This means that not everyone with that number of points was offered a place. You will have to wait for the second round to see if any vacancies arise.

I have enough points for the course I applied for but I failed Maths which is a course requirement. Is there any chance that I will be offered a place on the course?

No, there is no chance of being offered a place on a course when you fail to meet the course requirements. Points are the final selection procedure and only come into play when an applicant has satisfied all other requirements for the course.

What if information on the CAO Offer Notice is incorrect?

In the unlikely event that any information on the Offer is incorrect you should contact the CAO immediately either online using the email enquiries to help@cao.ie with "CAO" in the subject line and no attachments or by post using CAO Enquiry Form supplied with Offer Notice. The address for the CAO is Tower House, Eglington Street, Galway.

The CAO have confirmed that I don't have a first round offer.

You could still receive and offer in later rounds should the points fall sufficiently and you meet the minimum entry requirements.  In the meantime, you should consider some of the many alternatives such as PLC courses or courses in Independent Third Level Colleges. There is also the possibility of applying to view marked scripts for specific subjects prior to making an appeal, or repeating the Leaving Certificate and/or re-applying through the CAO next year.

What are my chances of getting a subsequent round offer?

There are no guarantees if you are hoping to secure a higher preference offer in later rounds as the CAO will try to fill as many vacancies as possible in the first round. Any remaining vacancies will be offered in subsequent rounds usually with slightly lower points requirements.

If I accept or reject an offer, could I still receive a further offer in subsequent rounds?

Accepting or rejecting an offer from either list at this stage will not exclude you from being offered a higher preference from either or both lists in later rounds, assuming points fall sufficiently and you meet the minimum entry requirements.

I'm thinking of deferring for a year.

An applicant who receives an offer and wishes to defer taking up the place for one year should contact the admissions office of WIT immediately to seek their agreement. Such agreement is not guaranteed and is totally at the discretion of WIT.

What about vacant places?

Should any places remain unfilled in a particular course after all offers have been made and the waiting lists of applicants meeting minimum entry requirements have been exhausted, such vacancies will be advertised and listed on the CAO Website (www.cao.ie). If you have not applied to the CAO previously, you may make a vacant place application online upon payment of a fee.

Leaving Certificate Examination Rechecks?

If an applicant is upgraded so that he/she now has the minimum points which  were required for admission to a particular course, but random selection had operated at his/her revised points level what is the applicants position?  It is simply a matter of looking at the random number which had been generated originally with all the other applicants for the course.  What if his/her random number is higher than that of the last person who was offered a place?  If his/her revised results had been available at the time he/she would have received a place because he/she would have been higher on the list than the last person who had actually got an offer.  On the other hand, what if his/her random number is lower than that of the last person who was offered a place?  Even if she/he had been in his/her revised position in the order of merit list for the course, he/she would not have been offered a place, his/her random number was too low.  Naturally, his/her revised result does not change his/her position because his/her random number is too low.  Leaving Certificate Examination Rechecks are normally available approximately the 5th October.  The results are sent from the State Examinations Commission to the Central Applications Office.