Applying to College

Applying to go to third level is an exciting experience. With so much choice out there you might find the following information useful in the search.

CAREER GUIDANCE

Your first port of call in relation to your future after secondary school should be a visit to your school's Career Guidance Counsellor. He/She is qualified and well versed on the abundance of literature available from third level institutions. Your Career Guidance Counsellor will be able to point you in the right direction for good information resources relation to third level courses. Click here for a comprehensive list of links to Higher Education Institutions in Ireland.

THE CAO (CENTRAL APPLICATIONS OFFICE)

The CAO is responsible for processing applications for almost all third level courses in the Republic of Ireland. So far this year there has been over 72,000 applications for the over 45,000 first year college places. This represents a 10% rise on last year's applciations.

The following closing dates apply for 2010 applications:

CLOSING DATE FOR NORMAL APPLICATIONS  1ST FEBRUARY 2010  (5.15pm)

CLOSING DATE FOR LATE APPLICATIONS          1ST MAY 2010  (5.15pm)

If you applying for a restricted course you must consult the regulations.

It is advisable for all prospective CAO applicants to consult the full application regulations which are available on the CAO Website at www.cao.ie.

UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)

UCAS is the applications service for most UK based third level courses. If you wish to study in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England or Wales, the UCAS website is a good place to start - www.ucas.co.uk