January 20th, 2015 (5.15 pm):
(1) Closing date for the CAO early-bird on-line application fee of €25 (it increases to €40 until February 1st). (2) Registration date for HPAT-Ireland 2015 (fee €120). Late registrations (€190) until February 1st, 5.15pm. An exceptional late registration (€225) until February 3rd, 5.15pm. Applicants for medicine must be online, not on paper, as the CAO does not process paper applications until the first week of February, too late for the HPAT deadline of January 20th (fewer than 1 per cent of applications generally are on paper). The HPAT test takes place in centres around the country on Saturday, February 28th.
February 1st (5.15pm):
Closing date for normal applications to the CAO, for entry to 1st-year undergraduate places. People applying for restricted application courses (those with early assessments such as interviews or portfolio assessment) must list any such course on their CAO application by this date.
February 15th (paper application)
Date by which you should have received a statement of course choices from the CAO. This gives your CAO application number, and sets out the courses you have listed in your initial application. If you don’t get it, contact CAO immediately.
March 1st
(5.15pm): Closing date
for including a restricted application course which was not listed on initial application (additional charge €10). This is also the final date for CAO applicants under the HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) or DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) schemes.
HEAR is an admissions route for school leavers who for social, financial or cultural reasons are under- represented at third level.
DARE is a supplementary admissions scheme offering places on reduced points to school leavers who have a disability.
April 1st (5.15 pm):
All supporting documentation for the HEAR or DARE schemes must be supplied to CAO. Last year 40 per cent of those who initially applied missed this deadline, and therefore could not be considered.
March -April:
Interviews and portfolio presentations for restricted application courses.
April:
The State Examinations Commission’s (SEC) Leaving Cert oral tests in Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Japanese, in all second-level schools.
Late April:
Results for mature applicants who sat the HPAT undergraduate medical entry aptitude test in March.
May 1st
(5.15 pm):
Closing date for late CAO applications. The fee for an online application up to this is €50 (€80 for paper application). After this deadline no further applications will be accepted for the coming academic year.
May:
The CAO change-of-mind facility opens on May 5th. Candidates get a statement of application record before the end of May, with all details to date.
June 3rd:
Leaving Certificate written examinations begin, and continue until Friday 19th.
June 22nd:
Applicants under 23 years of age who sat the HPAT test in March receive their results.
July 1st (5.15pm):
Final date for change of mind, for course choices and order of preference, on CAO applications for entry in September 2015.
July 3rd- 6th:
The CAO will make over six thousand offers to mature applicants, ie, those over 23, and to applicants who accepted and deferred their places in 2013. These offers are on the CAO website, and remain open for a week. Mature and deferred applicants who may be away from home should ensure any offer received on July 4th is dealt with, as offers lapse if not accepted within a week.
July 22nd:
An exceptional closing date for current third- level students who wish to drop out of their current college course and re-apply for a new list of choices through the CAO process.
Round zero offers, early August 2015: Over 2,000 places in courses are offered to a further cohort of mature applicants, as well as places in graduate medicine. Offers are open for one week.
Wednesday, August 12th:
The SEC delivers Leaving Cert results to over 700 schools, and also on examinations.ie from noon.
Monday, August 17th:
The CAO releases round one offers to candidates online at 6am. Offer notices are sent by post to candidates to arrive on Monday. Minimum points required for entry to each course are on the CAO website from 6am and are printed in full in that day's Irish Times.
Tuesday, August 18th: Leaving Cert students who wish to view exam scripts must return the application forms to their school by this date.
Monday, August 24th
(5.15 pm):
Closing date for receipt of acceptance of CAO round one offers.
Wednesday, August 26th
The CAO posts round two offers to applicants, to arrive by post on Thursday 27th. The minimum points required for entry to each course are on the CAO website at 6am on Thursday 27th, and are published in The Irish Times.
August 28th-29th
Students, along with one person of their choice, can view their scripts in school. The scripts cannot be viewed by anyone unless the student is present.
Wednesday, September 2nd
(5.15 pm):
Closing date for receipt of acceptance of CAO round two offers. Also the closing date for receipt of Leaving Certificate appeal applications to have papers remarked.
October 6th:
Results of Leaving Cert appeals released by the SEC. Final offers of places by the CAO will be made up to October 14th.
