Tens of thousands of students across Ireland are due to receive their first round of college offers from the Central Applications Office at 2pm today, marking a major milestone for this year’s Leaving Certificate class.
Round one offers will be available through the CAO website, while applicants will also receive an email notification. Those who selected the text alert option will receive a message by phone.
Students who receive an offer must accept it online by 3pm on September 1. The deadline applies to all first round offers, while a second round of offers will be published on the CAO website at 2pm on September 7.
More than 95,710 applications were submitted through the CAO this year, an increase of over 6,000 compared with last year. More than 55,300 applications came from students who sat the Leaving Certificate examinations this year.
The increase in applications could push points higher for some courses, although a reduction in enhanced Leaving Certificate grades may ease competition for places in certain areas.
More than 70,000 students received their Leaving Certificate results on Friday. Data from the State Examinations Commission showed that fewer top grades were awarded this year, with the proportion of H1 grades falling by more than 1.5 percentage points compared with 2025.
The latest round of offers has also renewed calls for reform of the CAO points system. Student, parent, teacher and school principal organisations have joined calls for the Government to progress a review already included in its Programme for Government.
The Children’s Rights Alliance, Irish Second Level Students’ Union, National Parents’ Council, Teachers’ Union of Ireland and National Association for Principals and Deputy Principals said the current system places excessive pressure on young people.
Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said the Leaving Certificate and CAO process creates significant anxiety for many teenagers.
Irish Second Level Students’ Union president Harrison Rossiter McGuire said the system focuses heavily on academic performance and does not give sufficient recognition to extracurricular activities, while the number of subjects studied can contribute to stress and burnout.
National Parents’ Council chief executive Áine Lynch said families often see the pressure students experience as they compete for points.
Teachers’ Union of Ireland general secretary Michael Gillespie said the existing system does not always reflect students’ wider abilities or potential. He called for reforms that would widen access to further and higher education and apprenticeships.
NAPD president Brian Doran said some students accept courses based mainly on available points rather than whether they are suited to the programme.
He warned that this can contribute to course changes and dropouts, creating lost opportunities for students and inefficiencies across the education system.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login