How can I check my son’s CAO details are correct to ensure he doesn’t lose a college place?

My son is due to sit the Leaving Cert in a few weeks’ time. I received an email from his guidance counsellor warning us that he could lose a college place if all his CAO details are not completed accurately. He was told this happens to hundreds of applicants each year, I’m not sure how to double-check this. Can you advise?

Your son’s guidance counsellor is right. In fact, several hundred of last year’s applicants were shocked when they failed to receive an offer in round one of the CAO at the end of August due to “errors or omissions” in their applications.

In recent years the CAO has decided to cut back on letters that were traditionally issued in early May and set out the details of the data the CAO holds on each applicant. This process is now actioned through an email to all current-year applicants.

In the coming days your son will receive this email to his CAO account notifying him to confirm that all his information is correct.

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Included in this account information will be his Leaving Cert exam number. This did not exist when he submitted his initial application to the CAO earlier this year, but it has since been created by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). The CAO needs this number to match grades to the applicant.

The main cause for errors in 2023 occurred where the CAO was not able to match an applicant’s record – generated when they originally made their online application – with a name on the data feed provided to the CAO by the SEC, which manages the Leaving Cert exams.

[ My son is choosing his Leaving Cert subjects, but has no idea what he wants to do after school ]

So, make sure your son’s correct Leaving Cert number is recorded when the CAO email arrives. If it is missing, it is his responsibility to amend his online record.

Be sure he checks the “spam” section of his email account in case it ends up there. If your son selected the “SMS text message” option on his application, he will also receive a text message prompting him to log in to his account to view this email.

Where an applicant previously sat the Leaving Cert, they also need to check their previous exam number is recorded, as well as any other relevant qualifications.

Similarly, if your son is exempt from the study of Irish, he needs to immediately register that exemption with the National University of Ireland (NUI) if he intends to seek an offer of a place from any NUI college. Similarly, if he is exempted from Irish plus a third language and is considering applying for a Trinity programme, he needs to register an exemption with Trinity. All such exemptions must then be notified to the CAO to ensure they do not lose out on a college place.

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