{"id":605326,"date":"2026-08-26T16:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T16:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/605326\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T16:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T16:38:11","slug":"cao-points-2026-students-receive-round-one-offers-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/605326\/","title":{"rendered":"CAO points 2026: Students receive round one offers \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main PointsCAO<\/a> points requirements for courses will be revealed this afternoon at 2pmThis comes after more than 70,000 Leaving Cert<\/a> pupils received their exam results on FridayThere are 5,000 more CAO applicants in 2026 than were in the system in 2025, something that will push up points overallHowever, a further reduction in enhanced grades in 2026 will also lead to an easing of pointsKey Reads<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 3 minutes ago<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for our live news coverage today. You can still send your questions to our CAO helpdesk over the evening here<\/a>. That will be running until Friday.<\/p>\n

There will be a special supplement, First Round Offers 2026, published in The Irish Times paper and online tomorrow.<\/p>\n

This will provide news and analysis of CAO trends, course demand and points movements, alongside practical advice on accepting offers, navigating subsequent rounds and exploring alternative pathways. <\/p>\n

We will have insights from education experts and students, as well as the tables detailing level six, seven and eight bachelor degree courses and points.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 6 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Random selection for 35 level-eight courses<\/p>\n

Jack White<\/p>\n

Some 35 level-eight courses used random selection to allocate places this year, an increase of ten from 2025, according to CAO figures, while two courses using the lottery system required the maximum 625 points.<\/p>\n

Random selection was used to allocate places for both dental science at Trinity College Dublin and dentistry at University College Cork. The two courses required 625 points for entry, meaning students who obtained the highest possible marks did not get a place.<\/p>\n

However, Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless said this year was the first in several years that a student who obtained maximum points would not lose out to random selection.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the round one CAO offers were made, Lawless said students who were \u201cunfortunate\u201d to achieve 625 points and not secure their first choice would have offerings elsewhere for the same courses, saying this was a \u201cpositive\u201d when compared to previous years.<\/p>\n

Last year, two courses requiring maximum points used random selection. Those were dental science and management science and information systems studies at Trinity College Dublin.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, we\u2019d rather no student was denied on random selection,\u201d Lawless said.<\/p>\n

Asked about the overall increase in the number of courses using random selection this year, Lawless said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason they didn\u2019t get their particular choice, and my heart goes out to any student in that situation, but the reason is because other students on higher points got in first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough, but ultimately, a lottery system is fair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lawless congratulated those who \u201cachieved their goal in this round\u201d, adding that he wished to \u201cempathise\u201d with those who \u201cmay be disappointed today\u201d.<\/p>\n

He attributed some pressures felt by students sitting the Leaving Certificate exams to the belief that it is the \u201cbe all and end all\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many, many other pathways, equally valid, equally strong,\u201d he said, such as apprenticeships and tertiary degrees.<\/p>\n

Lawless said some courses in high demand have seen \u201csome moderation\u201d in points, such as pharmacy, which he expected to continue in the \u201cyears to come\u201d.<\/p>\n

Noting that an additional 2,600 places for healthcare-related courses in high demand have entered the CAO system since last year, he said he intended to add more in the \u201ccoming years\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is supply and demand, ultimately. By increasing supply of available places, we are moderating demand, meaning that more students can get access to more places than ever before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Separately, asked about potential reforms of the CAO system, a commitment made under the programme for government, Lawless said he would not comment on specifics \u201cout of respect for the students that are currently engaged in the system\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not so much the CAO process, it\u2019s what it\u2019s used for afterwards that creates the pressure point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Minister said the CAO system\u2019s \u201ctransparency and independence\u201d is \u201csomething we should value\u201d, adding that the process is \u201cvery respected internationally\u201d.<\/p>\n

Earlier on Wednesday, a coalition of education activists called for reforms of the CAO, describing it as an \u201carchaic and anxiety-inducing system\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lawless, who agreed there was \u201cwork we can do\u201d, said one area he was considering was whether students could benefit from entering more generalised degrees at first, before specialising at a later stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve met with a number of stakeholders on that and I\u2019m engaging on that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 45 minutes ago<\/p>\n

CAO points out email delays<\/p>\n

Some applicants to the CAO may still be awaiting emails on their offers, the applications office has said.<\/p>\n

A number of email provders are blocking CAO emails before they reach recipients inboxes.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the issue, Head of Communications for CAO, Eileen Keleghan said \u201csome emails are experiencing significant delays or may not be immediately visible to applicants, despite having been successfully sent from our systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. The filtering and blocking of emails is controlled by individual email providers and is therefore outside of CAO\u2019s direct control.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like to reassure applicants that all queries are being processed and that they will receive a response. However, due to the ongoing delivery issues, some replies may not arrive until tomorrow. <\/p>\n

\u201cApplicants who are awaiting correspondence from CAO are advised to monitor their email account, including spam or junk folders, and to allow until tomorrow for a response to be received.<\/p>\n

\u201cCAO asked that applicants avoid submitting duplicate queries, as this can increase processing times and place additional pressure on support services during this period.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slight rise in points at Trinity College Dublin<\/p>\n

Entry requirements rose by an average of 0.5 points for Level 8 courses at Trinity College Dublin. <\/p>\n

Higher points courses saw their points level fall by an average of 2.3 points while lower points courses rose on average by 7.8 points. <\/p>\n

Medicine has increased from 739 to 741.<\/p>\n

The demand for nursing courses has risen across the board. For instance, Intellectual Disability Nursing saw points rise to 388 from 338.<\/p>\n

In Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, English Studies rose 13 points to 546 while Ancient and Medieval History and Culture rose 28 points to 497.<\/p>\n

Computer Science courses have seen a drop in points amid a fall in applications, with Computer Science going from 543 to 519.<\/p>\n

Seven courses are being offered at random selection, up from six in 2025. They are Law (578), Medicine (741), Dental Science (625), Physiotherapy (567), Occupational Therapy (543), Global Business (601) and Business, Economics and Social Science (567).<\/p>\n

Points increase at University of Galway<\/p>\n

Ponts at the University of Galway increased in 25 courses, the college has said.<\/p>\n

These include courses offering Gaeilge, such as BComm (Gaeilge) and BA (Gaeilge agus Leann Aistri\u00fach\u00e1in), cutting off at 488 and 405 respectively.<\/p>\n

Programmes in the creative arts saw increased demand with the BA (Drama, Theatre and Performance) increasing by 44 points to 404 and the BA (Music) up by 12 points to 413.<\/p>\n

The main science degree, BSc (GY301) cut off at 455, up 15 on last year and increases were also seen in Earth and Ocean Sciences, Biotechnology, Marine Science and Financial Mathematics & Economics. <\/p>\n

Nursing and Midwifery saw continued growth, in particular the Bachelor of Midwifery Science increasing from 429 to 498 points.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Courses at UCD remain broadly stable, but with some increases<\/p>\n

All courses at University College Dublin required over 400 points this year, for the second year in a row, the college has said. <\/p>\n

Eleven courses at UCD saw their points increase in the first round of offers for 2026.<\/p>\n

These were in the areas of social sciences and humanities, food science, human nutrition and mental health nursing.<\/p>\n

However, generally speaking points across UCD\u2019s undergraduate programmes remained broadly stable.<\/p>\n

There was a slight overall decline compared with last year, the college said.<\/p>\n

The UCD course with the highest points was Economics and Finance at 625, the same as last year, followed by Actuarial and Financial Studies at 602.<\/p>\n

The entry points for Medicine are 738, including the HPAT.<\/p>\n

The largest increases in first-preference demand for undergraduate courses were Food Science, Physiotherapy, Sport and Exercise Management and Psychology.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Points remain relatively similar in hard to access courses<\/p>\n

Applications for veterinary medicine, physiotherapy and medicine all increased this year, as well as in the fields of engineering and architecture.<\/p>\n

For this reason we were not expecting to see any points drop across these areas.<\/p>\n

A quick look at some of the colleges offering these courses shows this to be true. <\/p>\n

Medicine in UCD has remained the same at 738 points (including HPAT).<\/p>\n

Medicine in Trinity College Dublin rose slightly from 739 last year, to 741 this year. <\/p>\n

Veterinary Medicine at UCD went from 590 last year, to 589 this year. <\/p>\n

Physiotherapy at the University of Limerick went from 589 last year, to 579 this year. <\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Points fall as predicted in some courses<\/p>\n

Sources had indicated that CAO points requirements would fall for information and communication technology (ICT) programmes this year, with a smaller decrease for agriculture and primary teaching.<\/p>\n

This has been borne out.<\/p>\n

Points dropped slightly for Primary Teaching at Dublin City University, going from 485 last year in round one to 473 this year.<\/p>\n

Computer Science at University College Dublin has dropped from 542 last year to 510 this year. <\/p>\n

Agricultural Science at UCD has dropped from 432 last year to 417 this year.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

CAO Round One offers are released<\/p>\n

Some 90,866 Round One CAO offers have now been released to students across the country.<\/p>\n

These offers consist of 56,618 Level 8 course offers and 34,248 Level 7\/6 course offers.<\/p>\n

You can check to see if you have received an offer by logging in to your CAO account using the \u2018My Application\u2019 facility at cao.ie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some applicants may receive an email containing two offers: one from the Level 8 list and one from the Level 7\/6 list. Applicants must choose between these lists and can only accept one offer per offer round.<\/p>\n

Offers must be accepted by 3pm on Tuesday, September 1st.<\/p>\n

We will be looking at the points for various courses to see what has risen, fallen and stayed the same.<\/p>\n

In the meantime you can search the points using the course code on our tables below. <\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Is CAO reform needed?\"HarrisonHarrison Rossiter McGuire, President ISSU, Michael Gillespie, TUI, \u00c1ine Lynch, NPC and Paul Crone, NAPD during a press conference on the reform of the CAO points system held by Children\u2019s Rights Alliance in Buswells Hotel, Dublin.
\nPhotograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \/ The Irish Times<\/p>\n

The CAO points system has a \u201cpressure cooker effect\u201d on young learners and needs to be reformed, a coalition of education activists has said today.<\/p>\n

Many young people wll not feel a sense of achievement and excitement today, they argue, and instead will have \u201ca stomach-curling dread,\u201d Tanya Ward of the Children\u2019s Rights Alliance said. <\/p>\n

\u201cMaintaining an archaic and anxiety-inducing system to preserve the prestige of university league tables and a hierarchy of professions flies in the face of what our education system should be about. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government promised this review when entering office and now as we approach halfway of that term and a new school year, we want to see some follow through,\u201d Ward said.<\/p>\n

Alongside the Irish Second-Level Students\u2019 Union (ISSU), the National Parents\u2019 Union, the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and the National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals (NAPD), they called for reform of the system.<\/p>\n

The Programme of Government committed to \u201cwork with the sector to reform the CAO system to ensure that young people are best served by it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Harrison Rossiter McGuire, Uachtar\u00e1n of the (ISSU), said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are parts of the CAO system that have no basis on merit at all. If a course is over subscribed, while the points may go up, for courses where this can\u2019t happen, places are awarded on a lottery system. This is deeply unfair as it massively decreases the value of the work of the student.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

CAO helpdesk<\/p>\n

Our guidance counsellors Deirdre Garrett and Brian Howard will be back answering your questions from 1pm today. They can give you quick and clear feedback as you navigate college offers, choices and deciding your next steps over the coming days.<\/p>\n

Please contact them using the form below. <\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Get in touch<\/p>\n

If you feel you missed out on your course, are disappointed not to get the offer you wanted, or are delighted today with your fist choice offer, we would love to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Please email me at niamh.towey@irishtimes.com.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Key dates<\/p>\n

Wednesday, August 26th, 2pm<\/p>\n

The CAO releases round-one offers to candidates online. Minimum points required for entry to each course will be available on the CAO website. Shortly afterwards, students who are unhappy with a grade they received and wish to view their marked exam scripts may do so online. There is no charge for viewing marked exam scripts. Students who wish to appeal the result in one or more subjects can apply online through the SEC Student Portal to do so between these dates.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, September 1st, 3pm<\/p>\n

Closing date for receipt of acceptance of CAO round-one offers.<\/p>\n

Monday, September 7th, 2pm<\/p>\n

The CAO makes round-two offers available to applicants online. The minimum points required for entry to each course are released on the CAO website later that day.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, September 9th, 3pm<\/p>\n

Closing date for receipt of acceptance of CAO round-two offers.<\/p>\n

Friday, September 25th<\/p>\n

Results of Leaving Cert appeals are released by the SEC to students. Students whose scripts have been upgraded may receive a new offer of a place on a course higher up their CAO order of preference previously offered. The offer may be for the 2026 academic year, but in some cases where there is no capacity to accommodate additional students on a course, the offer may be for a place in the 2027 academic year.<\/p>\n

Niamh Towey – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Round One CAO offers are released at 2pm today. <\/p>\n

What do we know so far?<\/p>\n

Entry points for Irish colleges are set to remain broadly the same as last yearThere are a total of 95,710 applicants to the CAO this year \u2013 an increase of 6,402 compared with last yearSome 20,527 of this year\u2019s CAO applicants sat their Leaving Cert in a previous year. Many of these students could have higher grades due to increased grade inflation in the years they sat their exams.Points for traditionally hard to access courses such as medicine and dentistry are unlikely to fallData from the CAO shows a significant increase in first-preference applications for veterinary medicine (up 82 per cent), physiotherapy (up 27 per cent), and medicine (up 22 per cent).In the fields of engineering and architecture, driven by the construction boom, application numbers are up 15 and 12 per cent respectively.There is a substantial decrease in interest in information and communication technology (ICT) programmes this year, with applications down 9 per cent compared with last year. Other disciplines seeing smaller declines include agriculture and primary school teaching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Main PointsCAO points requirements for courses will be revealed this afternoon at 2pmThis comes after more than 70,000…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[254348,256576,256575,256577,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-605326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-cao-2026","tag-cao-first-round-offers","tag-cao-offers-2026","tag-cao-round-one-offers","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}