CAO Application for HEAR and DARE

APPLYING FOR HEAR AND DARE

Step 3 – Indicate if you wish to apply for the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)

The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a third level alternative admissions scheme for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, resident in the Republic of Ireland. Before submitting a HEAR application you should read the HEAR Handbook on the CAO website and discuss this with your parents, guardians or guidance counsellor. There are other admissions routes for mature and QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 applicants; further information is available on HEI websites.

HEIs participating in the HEAR Scheme		Other HEIs operating entry routes for school-leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds
Dublin City University	NUI Galway	Cork Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology	Pontifical University Maynooth	Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland	Institute of Technology Blanchardstown
Institute of Technology Sligo	St Angela’s College Sligo	Institute of Technology Carlow
Marino Institute of Education	Trinity College Dublin	Institute of Technology Tallaght
Mary Immaculate College Limerick	University College Cork	Institute of Technology Tralee
Maynooth University	University College Dublin	NCAD
National College of Ireland	University of Limerick	Waterford Institute of Technology

Table 1.4 HEIs participating in the HEAR scheme or operating other alternative entry routes for school-leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds

Applicants applying for HEAR must:

Be under the age of 23 as of 1st January .
Apply online to CAO by 5:15pm on 1st February .
No later than 5:15pm on 1st March , indicate in your CAO application that you wish to apply for the HEAR scheme, and fully and correctly complete all elements of the HEAR form (the HEAR form is part of your CAO application). Once you have completed the HEAR application form, a checklist will appear on-screen telling you which documents you need to supply.
Post your supporting documents to arrive in CAO no later than 5:15pm on 1st April .
Submit A4 photocopies of your supporting documents. Do not send originals. HEIs may require you to supply the original documents at a later date and any offers made are subject to this condition.

You should obtain a certificate of posting and include your CAO application number on the front of all correspondence. If you wish to receive confirmation from CAO that your documents have been received you must include a self-addressed and stamped postcard.

For more information about HEAR go to www.accesscollege.ie and/or visit Access Offices in the participating institutions. Please note: A separate application for financial assistance needs to be made via www.susi.ie.

Carrying forward HEAR eligibility

If you were deemed eligible for HEAR in the previous year, it carries forward for one year provided that you apply to CAO by the 1st February at 5:15pm and indicate that you wish to apply to HEAR by 5:15pm on 1st March . You must enter your correct CAO application number for the previous year, in the box provided. You are still required to complete all relevant sections of the HEAR application form, however you do not need to supply supporting documents as part of your application.

Step 4 – Indicate if you wish to disclose a Disability/Specific Learning Difficulty and apply for the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE)

HEIs participating in the DARE Scheme		Other HEIs operating admission schemes for school-leavers with disabilities
Athlone Institute of Technology	National College of Ireland	Dundalk Institute of Technology
Institute of Technology, Carlow	NUI Galway	Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology*
Cork Institute of Technology	Pontifical University Maynooth	Institute of Technology Blanchardstown *
Dublin City University	Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland	Institute of Technology Tallaght*
Dublin Institute of Technology	Institute of Technology, Sligo	Letterkenny Institute of Technology
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology	St Angela’s College Sligo	NCAD
Limerick Institute of Technology	Trinity College Dublin
Marino Institute of Education	University College Cork
Mary Immaculate College Limerick	University College Dublin
Maynooth University	University of Limerick	* These HEIs do not apply the closing dates set out in the next sections

Table 1.5 HEIs participating in the DARE scheme or operating schemes for school-leavers with disabilities

If you wish to disclose a disability or specific learning difficulty, click on the ‘Modify Disability/SLD (and DARE Application) Status’ button on the online application form and follow the instructions provided – for most institutions, you must complete this part of your application before 1st March at 5:15pm. If you would like to provide more information on your Disability or Specific Learning Difficulty please complete the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) before 1st March at 5:15pm. This will allow the HEIs to consider any specific support needs you may have in a HEI. You will be instructed to complete the SIF form when you select ‘Modify Disability/SLD Status’ on the online application form. Instructions for completing the form and submitting documents are included in the online form.

Some HEIs take account of the impact of your disability and/or specific learning difficulty on your educational performance through the provision of alternative admissions schemes. If deemed eligible for these schemes applicants may receive a reduction in points for entry to courses in participating HEIs. To be considered for entry to a course, applicants must satisfy matriculation/minimum entry and subject requirements. Full details on the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) and information which you should use to help you apply for the scheme are available at www.accesscollege.ie. There are other admissions routes for mature and QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 applicants; further information is available on HEI websites.

Applicants applying for DARE must:

Be under the age of 23 as of 1st January .
Apply to CAO by 5:15pm on 1st February .
No later than 5:15pm on 1st March , you must disclose your disability and/or specific learning difficulty in your CAO application and fully and correctly complete Section A of the Supplementary Information Form (SIF) (the SIF is a part of your CAO application).
If you wish to be considered for the DARE scheme you must answer yes to question 1 on Section A of the fully completed SIF by 5:15pm on 1st March .
Download Section B of the SIF (Educational Impact Statement), have it completed by your school and returned to CAO to arrive by 5:15pm on 1st April.
Download Section C of the SIF (Evidence of Disability), have it completed by the appropriate medical professional (only if you do not already have a report verifying your disability) and returned to CAO to arrive by 5:15pm on 1st April . In place of Section C, applicants with a specific learning difficulty or dyspraxia are asked to provide a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist. In addition, applicants with dyspraxia must provide documentation from an occupational therapist, neurologist or physiotherapist.

Please Note: There are particular requirements for Section C of the SIF when applying for alternative admissions schemes in relation to the Medical Consultant/Specialist who must verify your disability, the age limit on reports, and the documentation required.

You are not obliged to disclose a disability and/or specific learning difficulty unless you are applying for an alternative admissions scheme (e.g. DARE or another scheme offered by HEIs operating admission schemes for school-leavers with disabilities). If you do not wish to disclose your disability and/or specific learning difficulty on the application form, you may do so at any time on entering a HEI and reasonable accommodation will be made at that stage if possible. Please note that disclosure of a disability and/or specific learning difficulty will not adversely affect your application in any way.

Carrying forward DARE eligibility

If you were deemed eligible for DARE in the previous year, it carries forward for one year provided that you apply to CAO by the 1st February at 5:15pm and indicate that you wish to apply to DARE by 5:15pm on 1st March ; disclose your disability by 5:15pm on 1st March in your CAO application; and fully and correctly complete Section A of the Supplementary Information Form. Indicate that you wish to be considered for the DARE scheme by indicating this on Section A of the fully completed SIF by ticking ‘Yes’ to Question 1 by 5:15pm on 1st March . You must enter your correct CAO application number for the previous year, at Question 1(b) of the SIF. You are still required to complete all relevant sections of the SIF form, however you do not need to supply supporting documents as part of your application.

INTERVIEWS AND ASSESSMENTS

For some courses you may need to sit additional assessments, provide supplementary information (e.g. a portfolio or a statement), or attend for an interview. Some of these courses will be marked as “(Restricted – see page 3)” in the CAO Handbook, but you should consult the websites and prospectuses of the HEIs for more information.

GAMSAT, HPAT and MSAP

You are advised to apply online, before 1st February at 5:15pm, if you need to apply for the GAMSAT, HPAT and/or MSAP tests. Current year results will be obtained directly from ACER, provided you have applied on time for consideration for entry to the relevant courses. Check your email inbox regularly as CAO communicates via email with such applicants. If you have previous valid GAMSAT and/or MSAP tests, you must supply to CAO copies of these results with your application, or within 10 days of applying online. Consult the appropriate HEI literature regarding their validity.

Graduate Medicine

Qualified applicants are ranked solely on the basis of GAMSAT results. To qualify, applicants must obtain a second class honours grade one (2H1) in their first Level 8 Honours Degree. For more information, go to the Student Resources section of www.cao.ie and click on the Entry to Medicine tab.

Mature Nursing/Midwifery

Mature applicants for nursing/midwifery are ranked based on their score in the assessment process. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) carries out the assessment test for mature nursing applicants on behalf of the Nursing and Midwifery Board (NMBI). To sit the test you are advised to apply online to CAO, before 1st February at 5:15pm, and you must complete the following two steps:

Register with www.publicjobs.ie by creating a profile (if you have not already done so). Do not confuse registering (creating a profile) with submitting an application form. Remember to note down your login and password details as you will require these during the assessment process to access your messages.
Complete and submit the online application form between 2nd February and 22nd February . If you have not received a confirmation email from the PAS within two days of submitting your application you should contact them at [email protected] or phone 01-8587730.

For full details on the assessment test process, go to http://www.nmbi.ie/Careers-in-Nursing-Midwifery or email [email protected] – see also the instructions on page 21.