Preparing your Bachelor’s application in Ireland (CAO)

application assistance

Ireland is a very popular destination for French students. And with good reason! Known as the “Green Isle”, Ireland is home to some of the finest universities in Europe. Student life is pleasant and the local population is particularly welcoming.

For further information

Find out all you need to know about the CAD platform : www.cao.ie.

What is CAO?

VisitCAO (Central Application Office) is a platform for centralizing applications in bachelor’s degree for Irish universities. This system is similar to Parcoursup in France or UCAS in the UK.

Designed to facilitate the application process for students, the CAO will send your application to the various universities, schools or technological institutes you have selected during the registration process.

The CAO platform also enables you to track the progress of your application via the My Application portal, and this is how the schools you have applied to will contact you.

How do I apply via CAO?

Register on the CAD platform

The CAO platform is relatively easy to use. On the CAO website, you’ll find the CAO Handbook, which contains all the information you need to register. Don’t hesitate to consult it.

Registration via CAO takes place in several stages:

  • Go to www.cao.ie, Apply section, to start your registration;
  • Fill in all your personal details: surname, first name, date of birth, etc., making sure they match those on your passport or birth certificate.
  • Add a valid e-mail address so that your account is secure and you can be contacted by the CAO department and by the establishments to which you are applying;
  • Select your diplomas and qualifications from the various options. Don’t forget to include a copy of your certificates translated into English. If you are taking your baccalaureate in 2020, please send your results to the CAD department as soon as qhen you get them;
  • Choose your payment method. The online application fee is €45. Please note that this fee is reduced to €30 for candidates applying before January 20;
  • Create a password. You will be asked for it every time you wish to access your personal CAD account;
  • Once all these steps have been completed, you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration and containing your CAD application number.

Make your wishes!

If you’re applying for a bachelor’s degree, there are a number of options open to you:

  • level 8: a two-year course called higher certificate (HC) ;
  • level 7: a three-year course called ordinary bachelor degree (DG) ;
  • level 6: a three- or four-year course called honours bachelor degree (HD).

For each of these levels, you can select a maximum of 10 schools or courses.

Attention

This list should not be drawn up randomly. Please enter your choices in order of preference.

Complete your application form

In order to best assess applicants’ profiles, Irish universities often require a number of additional documents to be included in the application file. You have 10 days from the date of your registration to send your application to service CAO the supporting documents you will be asked to provide. These documents must be copies certified by the school’s stamp and translated into English.

Be sure to enter your CAD number on each document, before sending them to the following address:

CAO

Tower House

Eglinton Street

Galway, Ireland

Keep to the registration timetable

All candidates registering on the CAD platform between 1st November and January 20 (5:15 p.m.) benefit from the preferential rate of €30. The first registration session opens between January 21 and 1st February, but the registration fee is €45.

For latecomers or those undecided, it’s still possible to register up to 1st May (5:15 p.m.) for €60.Between May 5 and 1st July, you can modify your wish list free of charge.

Admission criteria

Admission requirements to Trinity may vary by program. For the most selective subjects, such as history, literature or mathematics, it’s best to obtain at least a mention très bien (over 16/20), or even the jury’s congratulations (over 18/20) for medicine or law.

For less selective programs such as languages or sociology, an average of 13 or 14/20 can generally be enough to be admitted. Other selection criteria include a good command of the English language (6.5 on the IELTS, 90 on the TOEFL, 180+ on the Cambridge English scale).

UCD admission criteria can vary greatly from program to program. For the most selective sciences, the commerce, veterinary studies or medicine, it’s best to obtain at least a “mention très bien” (over 16/20), or even “félicitations du jury” (over 18/20) for medicine or law.

For less selective programs such as languages or sociology, an average of 13 or 14/20 should generally suffice for admission. Among other selection criteria, a good command of the English language is required (6.5 at theIELTS90 in TOEFL, 180+ on the Cambridge English scale).

Comme pour toutes les universités irlandaises, les étudiants doivent s’inscrire directement via le système CAO en se rendant sur le site www.cao.ie et en joignant une copie certifiée de leur dossier académique.

Would you like to study in Ireland after your A-levels? Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your project!