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Leaving Cert students will receive their first-round CAO offers today, revealing the minimum points needed for each course. With 6,402 more applicants this year, including many from previous years with potentially higher grades, competition is expected to be high. The SEC will also allow students to view marked exam scripts online for possible appeals.
Leaving Cert students to find out points requirements for third-level courses amid CAO first-round offers There are 5,000 more CAO applicants in 2026 than were in the system in 2025, something that will push up points overallOur guidance counsellors Deirdre Garrett and Brian Howard will be back answering your questions from 1pm tiday.
They can give you quick and clear feedback as you navigate college offers, choices and deciding your next steps over the coming days. If you feel you missed out on your course, are disappointed not to get the offer you wanted, or are delighted today with your fist choice offer, we would love to hear from you. The CAO releases round-one offers to candidates online. Minimum points required for entry to each course will be available on the CAO website.
Shortly afterwards, students who are unhappy with a grade they received and wish to view their marked exam scripts may do so online. There is no charge for viewing marked exam scripts. Students who wish to appeal the result in one or more subjects can apply online through the SEC Student Portal to do so between these dates. The CAO makes round-two offers available to applicants online.
The minimum points required for entry to each course are released on the CAO website later that day. Results of Leaving Cert appeals are released by the SEC to students. Students whose scripts have been upgraded may receive a new offer of a place on a course higher up their CAO order of preference previously offered.
The offer may be for the 2026 academic year, but in some cases where there is no capacity to accommodate additional students on a course, the offer may be for a place in the 2027 academic year. Entry points for Irish colleges are set to remain broadly the same as last year There are a total of 95,710 applicants to the CAO this year - an increase of 6,402 compared with last year Some 20,527 of this year's CAO applicants sat their Leaving Cert in a previous year.
Many of these students could have higher grades due to increased grade inflation in the years they sat their exams. Data from the CAO shows a significant increase in first-preference applications for veterinary medicine (up 82 per cent), physiotherapy (up 27 per cent), and medicine (up 22 per cent). In the fields of engineering and architecture, driven by the construction boom, application numbers are up 15 and 12 per cent respectively.
There is a substantial decrease in interest in information and communication technology (ICT) programmes this year, with applications down 9 per cent compared with last year. Other disciplines seeing smaller declines include agriculture and primary school teaching. Are you struggling to find student accommodation for the new college year?
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Leaving Cert CAO First-Round Offers Points Requirements College Admissions Exam Appeals Grade Inflation Veterinary Medicine Physiotherapy Medicine Engineering ICT Student Accommodation
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