By Niamh Dwyer, Chairperson of the Kerry Branch of Guidance Counsellors

Applicants who wish to apply for courses in 2022 through the Central Applications Office (CAO) will be able to do so once the portal opens at 12noon on November 5.

The CAO processes applications for undergraduate courses in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland for a broad range of applicants such as school leavers, students who have completed QQI-FET/FETAC courses in colleges of further education and students who wish to re-apply for deferred courses or to change course.

Applications are also open to international students and mature students, which normally refers to students who are 23 on or before January 1 on the year of entry. Once the portal opens applicants register their personal details, pay the fee of €30 (discounted up to January 20) and get a CAO application number.
Applicants will also need to submit information about schools attended, qualifications and language exemptions, if applicable. Supplementary information will be needed from certain categories of applicant. There is no need to panic about needing to know what course choices you want to include at this stage as you have until February 1 to put in some choices and you will have the opportunity to make changes when the Change of Mind facility opens in early May up to the final closing date of July 1. Once you have registered, you can log on to your account at any stage up to the deadlines to check, add or change personal information and/or course choices.

Details on all the important deadlines and closing dates are available on the ‘Important Dates’ section of www.cao.ie. A ‘Demo’ version of the form is available for applicants to practice on before submitting an application. There are restrictions applied to some courses and to mature student applications, which means they must be included by the February 1 deadline. Applicants applying for the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) and Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) should consult www.cao.ie and www.accesscollege.ie for details on how to apply as part of the CAO application process.

CAO Changes

This year the CAO website will feature some changes compared to previous years. The CAO handbook is available to download as a PDF and is also available as an interactive flipbook with live links to helpful resources and videos. It will have different sections for parents, students, schools etc and for the first time ever it will have links to the different options available to students outside of CAO such as Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses, traineeships and apprenticeships in the further education and training sector. It is hoped that this will encourage applicants to explore the broad range of options available.

While there is lots of time to make up your mind about your course choices, the earlier you start your research the better. Make sure to book an appointment with your guidance counsellor in school if you haven’t already done so, discuss your options with family and friends, research the details in the HEI prospectuses and college websites carefully, register for open days or watch recordings of virtual events and contact college staff with any questions you have. Look up course and career information on websites such as www.careersportal.ie and www.qualifax.ie. A recording of a webinar for parents and students hosted by CAO has been uploaded to the CAO website and will be available until November 10. There are lots of resources available so use them. This is an important decision for you so make sure it is an informed one!

Niamh Dwyer is a Guidance Counsellor in Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore, and Chairperson of the Kerry Branch of Guidance Counsellors. She is also a Careers Advisor - For details see www.mycareerplan.ie or follow @mycareerplan on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.