On Monday some 81,000 prospective students will be able to access the first round of CAO offers to find out if they have secured a third-level course.

The majority of applicants (46,000) are 2016 Leaving Cert students who received their exam results on Wednesday. The rest comprise applicants from other educational streams, Northern Ireland, abroad, repeat and change-of-mind students.

While it is not the first time places have been offered in 2016, the first round of offers constitutes the main body of offers that takes place after the results of the Leaving Cert have been made available.

From 6am on Monday, applicants can check online to see if they have received an offer by visiting cao.ie and logging in to their account using the My Application facility.

Guidance counsellors

The Central Applications Office will also issue offers by post, e-mail and SMS text and applicants who have not received an offer will receive a Statement of Application Record.

The Irish Times CAO Helpdesk will operate from 8.30am at irishtimes.com/results2016. Guidance counsellors Brian Howard and Deirdre Garrett will be on hand until 6pm to answer any questions you have about your college applications .

The First Round Offers 2016 supplement will be distributed with Monday’s edition of the Irish Times. It will feature analysis of this year’s CAO points allocation and trends, full course listings along with hints and tips on planning for college.

The CAO’s second round offers will be made available on the morning of September 1st.