*$*$* CAO offers - how they work *$*$*

randylonghorn

(Round 1 offers - 22nd August 2011)


Guys, can I suggest people have a look at the offers section (page 21 onwards) of the CAO handbook over the next week or so ...

*** link here ***


I'm sure some of you know it by heart by now, but there are still people popping up questions that show they don't understand how the system works.



In particular, this bit (page 22) is core to the way the CAO system works, yet seems to cause confusion ...


Offer of highest preference

You will be offered a place in the highest of your course preferences to which you are entitled (if any).

This will be done, independently, in respect of Level 8 and Level 7/Level 6 choices.

You may, therefore, receive two offers at the same time; one for the highest Level 8 preference to which you are entitled and the other for the highest Level 7/Level 6 preference to which you are entitled.


Exclusion from lower preferences

IMPORTANT: When you have been offered a place in one of your course preferences, you are excluded from further consideration for any course which is lower in your order of preference than the one in which you have been offered a place.

This means that while you may subsequently move upwards in your order of preference (if places become available due to withdrawals) you will not be considered for a place in a course which is a lower preference than that already offered.


Later offers for higher preference

If you are being offered a place in a course which is not your first preference, you may subsequently be offered a place in a course of higher preference if such a place becomes available.

This applies whether or not the earlier offer has been accepted. It is NOT necessary to accept an offer in order to be considered for a higher preference if it becomes available later. There is no guarantee, of course, that a higher preference will become available.


Non-acceptance of subsequent offers

Having accepted an offer of a place, you are not obliged to accept a subsequent offer. You may retain the original offer simply by ignoring the subsequent one.




Vacant places

See the CAO website - vacant places




Link to CAO log-in page ... log into your CAO account here!

randylonghorn

Some useful Q&A posts copied from previous CAO threads (some edited / shortened slightly) ... please read, your question may have been answered!!

YodaBoy wrote: »

What happens of you accept an offer low down on the list, then you get your points boosted in a recheck; by the time you got the updated results you would already have started in college... Do you have to take a higher offer if you get it or is the course already filled up when you get the rechrcked results??

QueenOfLeon wrote: »

If you did go up in points and get offered the higher course, it depends on the course as to what they do. Some courses will only take you the following year, so if you accept it they will hold a place for you next year. Other courses leave spaces for people who go up in rechecks.

Victoria. wrote: »

Does the CAO sort by matriculation requirements too?
Say if you didn't get a required grade for maths but you got enough points would it offer you that course solely on points so you wouldn't be offered another one or would it take the maths into account?

randylonghorn wrote: »

No, you will be offered the highest ranked course to which you are entitled ... if there is a requirement for a C3 in maths for a course, for example, and you only get a D, you will not be offered that course even if you have the points.

LouiseZ wrote: »

Say you got offered your second choice course, and you accepted that offer, if the points for your first choice course drop in the second round and due to that points drop you get in, can you still get offered a place on your first choice course?
...even if you've accepted the second choice course...I should probably know this..:rolleyes:

pathway33 wrote: »

Yes provided you meet the matriculation requirements as well as the points.

You can go up on the CAO but the CAO will never let you go down.

Golden rule: 'The only way is up'

Say you got 500 points and your first choice in round 1 was 505 and your second choice was 495 then you get your second choice providing you also meet the matriculation requirements (e.g OC3 in maths which you satisfy by getting an OC1)

In the second round you will get your first choice if it drops to 500 and you get pulled out on random selection or if it drops to below 500. That's providing your first choice does not have an entry requirement like OB3 in maths because you only got an OC1. In this case you have the points but not the entry requirement and so stick on your round 1 offer. If you had your OB3 in maths then your first choice is yours if you wish

fancyschmancy wrote: »

if you accept a course this year, then after one year decide you don't like it, how can you change course? is it based on leaving cert points 2010 or on university exams from your first year?

QueenOfLeon wrote: »

If you reapply through the CAO for a completely different course, you're applying with all the current leaving certs so it goes on whatever the required points are in that year, not what it was when you did the LC.

If you just want to change course without changing university and without going back and repeating first year, you should contact the university to see what they can do for you. For example, doing first year marine science and wanting to move into environmental sci (provided the 1st year courses are the same, as they are for a lot of sciences). You MAY have to repeat first year if the courses have different first year modules.

If you're changing university but staying in the same type of course, eg, doing 1st year science or something like that but wanting to do second year of the same course somewhere else, you apply for a transfer. You must have the points that were required in the year you started the course, eg, if you take science in NUIG for 350 points, and Trinity was 450, if you didn't have the 450 in the first place you can't transfer. You also have to meet the other transfer requirements set out by the university, most require that you pass your first year college exams, fill out an application form and write a personal statement.

Theres also the issue of paying fees if you reapply through the CAO and enter 1st year for the 2nd time, whether in a different uni or not. You must pay the fees for 1st year of the course. If a transfer is approved, and you go direct from 1st year in one uni to 2nd year in another, you don't pay fees.

lallychops wrote: »

how do you actually accept offers? do you go into the cao website and accept there??

QueenOfLeon wrote: »

On the day of the offers, you log into your cao account. You'll have 2 boxes, 1 for level 8 and 1 for level 7, saying what course you've been accepted, the college and the course number. There'll be an "accept" button beside it, click it and thats it!

You also get it by post (the same day I think?) so you can fill out that form and send it back, but the quicker and easier way is online.

Shonagh

What time are the offers published on the website?

LilMissCiara

Thanks for this Randy!

Shonagh wrote: »

What time are the offers published on the website?

6am next Monday afaik!

frenchy1992

I have a small question !

here are the requirements for my course : Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with at least Grade C3 in two Higher Level subjects and Grade D3 in four Ordinary or Higher Level subjects (including Mathematics, Irish or another language and English).

In addition;At least B3 at higher level in one of the core languages (French/German/Japanese/Spanish).

the points for it were 370 last year and I got 430 as well as the other requirements. The thing I'm worried about is the "irish or another language" bit. Because the other language I did was french and it's a specific requirement and I did not do Irish because I was french ! :O
Does that mean I wont be taken ?? :O

TheWiseGuys

So if i got the points for my first and second choices I would have to take my 1st choice? could I reject it and take my second choice??????

dambarude

TheWiseGuys wrote: »

So if i got the points for my first and second choices I would have to take my 1st choice? could I reject it and take my second choice??????

No. If you get the points for your first choice and you're offered it, at no point afterwards can you be offered your second choice.

If you're offered your second choice, there IS a chance you could be offered your first in second round offers.

randylonghorn

frenchy1992 wrote: »

I have a small question !

here are the requirements for my course : Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with at least Grade C3 in two Higher Level subjects and Grade D3 in four Ordinary or Higher Level subjects (including Mathematics, Irish or another language and English).

In addition;At least B3 at higher level in one of the core languages (French/German/Japanese/Spanish).

the points for it were 370 last year and I got 430 as well as the other requirements. The thing I'm worried about is the "irish or another language" bit. Because the other language I did was french and it's a specific requirement and I did not do Irish because I was french ! :O
Does that mean I wont be taken ?? :O

I think you're ok, if I'm reading that correctly, and if you have the B3 in French, which I presume you have. What college, Trinity?

TheWiseGuys wrote: »

So if i got the points for my first and second choices I would have to take my 1st choice? could I reject it and take my second choice??????

No, no, no, no!

PLEASE read the first post carefully!

frenchy1992

I think you're ok, if I'm reading that correctly, and if you have the B3 in French, which I presume you have. What college, Trinity?

Yea I did get that as well as the other requirements (A1 HL French, A1 OL maths, A2 OL english, B2 HL Ag. sc. , B3 HL Geo, C2 HL History).

And I would be going to UL (languages with concurent teacher education)

Do you think I'm ok ?

randylonghorn

LM098?

I'd be 95% sure you're fine ... they could have phrased that a bit better though!

If you want to put your mind fully at rest, why not give a ring to their Admissions office tomorrow?

cocoshovel

Two questions. Is it possible that a course could go up by over 30 points? I got 230 points and the course last year was 200, but its a new course.
http://www.wit.ie/StudyatWIT/UndergraduateCourses/Humanities/NationalCertificateinTourismwithBusiness/#d.en.21194

Also, how are the places distributed? Ive heard all too much about how there isnt enough space in any courses or there is 3 people applying for every 1 place. How do they decide who gets in and doesnt get in, even if they have the required points?

dambarude

cocoshovel wrote: »

Two questions. Is it possible that a course could go up by over 30 points? I got 230 points and the course last year was 200, but its a new course.
http://www.wit.ie/StudyatWIT/UndergraduateCourses/Humanities/NationalCertificateinTourismwithBusiness/#d.en.21194

Yes, it wouldn't happen very often, but a course could rise by 30 points. I know a few courses that rose by even more than that in recent years.

cocoshovel wrote: »

Also, how are the places distributed? Ive heard all too much about how there isnt enough space in any courses or there is 3 people applying for every 1 place. How do they decide who gets in and doesnt get in, even if they have the required points?

The CAO starts with the person with the most points applying for a particular course, and proceeds down through the list (in order of points) until all the places have been filled. If there a few applicants with the same amount of points left, but too little spaces, random selection applies. That's when you see an asterisk (*) after the course points. So if a course is 300* it means that not everybody who got 300 points got into the course.

TouchingVirus

cocoshovel wrote: »

Two questions. Is it possible that a course could go up by over 30 points? I got 230 points and the course last year was 200, but its a new course.
http://www.wit.ie/StudyatWIT/UndergraduateCourses/Humanities/NationalCertificateinTourismwithBusiness/#d.en.21194

Also, how are the places distributed? Ive heard all too much about how there isnt enough space in any courses or there is 3 people applying for every 1 place. How do they decide who gets in and doesnt get in, even if they have the required points?

Read your handbook, it's all there on Page 25

In the vast majority of courses, admission is based solely on examination results; the available places are offered to those
applicants with the better results.

2. To compare results, points are awarded for different grades. The points awarded for Leaving Certificate results are shown on
Page 20 of the CAO Handbook.

3. To determine who should be offered places in a course, the applicants for that course are placed in order of merit. In other
words, the applicant with the highest points score (best set of results) is placed at the top of the list and the other applicants are
placed in descending order, according to their points score.
The applicant with the lowest points score goes to the bottom of the list.

4. The higher education institution will tell us to make a certain number of offers; for example, they may tell us that 200 offers
are to be made in a particular course.

5. Who is entitled to the 200 offers ? Obviously, the 200 applicants at the top of the list, i.e. those with the higher points.

6. Sometimes, however, a situation may arise where, for example, the 198th, 199th, 200th, 201st and 202nd applicants all have the
same points score but there are only 3 places available between them.
A decision has to be made about which 3 out of the 5 with equal points will be offered the final places. How is this decision
made?

7. Prior to the order of merit lists being drawn up, for each course for which she enters, each applicant is given a number which
has been generated at random by the computer. The random number is exactly that; it is not associated with the CAO
Application Number; it does not depend on when the applicant applied; it has no connection with anything. It is totally
random, like lottery numbers.

8. In the event of a tie on points, such as the five applicants competing for the last 3 places, then the random number of the
applicants is taken into account. In effect, the order among the five with the same points score is set by their random number;
the applicant with the highest random number goes first, followed by the one with the next highest random number, etc, and
the applicant with the lowest random number goes fifth. The three with the higher random numbers are offered the 3 available
places and the other two applicants are placed at the top of the waiting list.

cocoshovel

AH okay thanks. I'm less enthusiastic about getting into this course now

LukeDavfc

Hi, Mr Ignorant here, sorry!

I got 405 points, my third choice was Commerce-international at UCD, 400 points minimum last year. I've got all the requirements for that. My first and second choices were Science at Trinity and UCD respectively. I think I'm a few points off the minimum points requirement for last year on both of these but I'd much rather do a science course at TCD/UCD than the commerce course.

What I was wondering is what happens if I get offered the commerce course on Monday and I accept it, but then I get offered a science course later? Can I cancel the acceptance and take the science course instead as it is higher on the list?

What are the chances of me being able to do science at TCD/UCD with 405 points?

Thank you so much and I hope all other leaving certs are happy!

dambarude

LukeDavfc wrote: »

What I was wondering is what happens if I get offered the commerce course on Monday and I accept it, but then I get offered a science course later? Can I cancel the acceptance and take the science course instead as it is higher on the list?

Yes, you should accept, and you will still be able to take up one of your higher preferences if they're offered to you in the 2nd/3rd round.

LukeDavfc wrote: »

What are the chances of me being able to do science at TCD/UCD with 405 points?

It could happen, they have relatively big intakes, so there's a chance that quite a few mightn't accept in the first round. You're quite a bit off last years points, but nobody knows what the points will be on Monday.

LukeDavfc

I'm really worried now... I think the commerce-international could be closer to 500 points anyone know anything about it?

TouchingVirus

Nobody can give you guides on points. Even last years points are usually put up just to give you a very very rough estimate on what to go for. If you kill yourself for 500 points and the demand for the course goes through the floor (e.g. now more places than students looking to do it) then even those with 300 might get in. You just never know, best to just wait it out until Monday

LukeDavfc

Ok thanks

bcs123

Hi there! Just wondering if anyone knows if I'll be included in the Round 1 offers? I go to school in Northern Ireland and just received my A level results on Thursday. As I did one of my A levels with an English board (AQA) I had to post my results sheet for that subject to CAO rather than it being sent automatically. As far as I know post doesn't run in the south on a Saturday so it is quite likely my results sheet won't reach their offices until Monday at the earliest. With this being the case, I was wondering if I will hear anything at the start of next week or will I only be included in the Round 2 offers, and if so, does this put me at a disadvantage in getting an offer from my first choice?
I know this a pretty obscure question, but any help would appreciated! Thanks x

bcs123

Ok scratch that, got a letter in the post from cao today saying that they had received my English board result from ucas (the uk equivalent of cao) so I am assuming that as they now have all my results in their records, I will be included in round one offers?

Vodkat

I have a quick question. If i get offered a college place on Monday (the 3rd on my cao) I have a week to accept it, But say if my no.1 choice points come down on the 2nd round and I have enough points for it, can I then switch courses?

randylonghorn

Vodkat wrote: »

I have a quick question. If i get offered a college place on Monday (the 3rd on my cao) I have a week to accept it, But say if my no.1 choice points come down on the 2nd round and I have enough points for it, can I then switch courses?

Yes, if you get a later offer, you can of course accept it and switch.

Hate to sound like a pain, but do read the first post **CAREFULLY** !

ChristinaIndigo

Quick question, I know that if you accept a lower preference course, you can still get offered the ones higher on your list in the next round.
BUT, I'm just wondering what happens if you reject the one you're offered on Monday?

LilMissCiara

ChristinaIndigo wrote: »

Quick question, I know that if you accept a lower preference course, you can still get offered the ones higher on your list in the next round.
BUT, I'm just wondering what happens if you reject the one you're offered on Monday?

If you reject it, and get nothing in Round 2 then you have no course/offer.

ChristinaIndigo

LilMissCiara wrote: »

If you reject it, and get nothing in Round 2 then you have no course/offer.

Just checking that rejecting something in round one doesn't affect you getting a higher offer in round two?

LilMissCiara

ChristinaIndigo wrote: »

Just checking that rejecting something in round one doesn't affect you getting a higher offer in round two?

No it doesn't, you can reject your first round offer and still get a second round offer. If you reject your first though, and don't get a second you are well and truly fúcked tbh!

Sarah?

The first post probably answers this question, but I just want to double check:

I currently have the exact points for my first choice (435). My second choice is 440. I've changed my mind and don't want either course now, but I do want my third choice which is around 350. If I don't get the first two, I'll accept number three.

BUT then if I appeal any subjects and my points go up so that I have enough for my first choice again, can I still take my third? (There's one subject that I really want to appeal, thought I did far better in it, just want to know if I'd be risking getting the course I want by appealing it.)

dambarude

Sarah? wrote: »

BUT then if I appeal any subjects and my points go up so that I have enough for my first choice again, can I still take my third? (There's one subject that I really want to appeal, thought I did far better in it, just want to know if I'd be risking getting the course I want by appealing it.)

If you do manage to get your third choice (not having been offered your first two), you'll be well into your course by the time rechecks are out. If your points are brought up enough, you may be offered a higher choice, but you won't be kicked out of the course that you're in.

Sarah?

dambarude wrote: »

If you do manage to get your third choice (not having been offered your first two), you'll be well into your course by the time rechecks are out. If your points are brought up enough, you may be offered a higher choice, but you won't be kicked out of the course that you're in.

Thanks, yeah I forgot that we don't even get to view the scripts until September. :rolleyes:

Aragneer

In my results I got 365 points, which is 20 points below my second choice. (There is no way I got my first choice so I'm ignoring that) I have all the entry requirements for the second choice but not the points. If there are a lack of places and what not, do you think I will be offered that course? Or is that out of my hands?

My third choice is 345 and I'm worried I won't get it for some reason