CAO Categories of Qualifications and Assessments
Some applicants may select one or more of the sections below, and it is important that applicants inform CAO of all qualifications in order to be credited for them at the offer stage. Please follow the instructions for the sections that are relevant to you. Unless these instructions are followed precisely, it may be necessary to suspend processing of your application and to contact you to seek compliance with the requirements. In such cases, an additional processing fee of €10 will be imposed.
When sending copies of supporting documents please write your CAO application number on the front of each page and refer to page 12 of this handbook for further information.
IRISH LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMS (1985-2018) If you are applying on the basis of Leaving Certificate results you will be asked to enter the name and address of your second-level school(s) and the years attended. If you are a current year Leaving Certificate candidate, you must tick the box provided – usually, you will not have your Leaving Certificate examination number when you first make your CAO application, but at a later date you will be asked to verify your Leaving Certificate examination number on your Statement of Application Record which you will receive in May. If you have previously sat the Leaving Certificate, you must provide your examination number(s) and the year(s) in which you sat your examination(s). If you do not know your Leaving Certificate examination number, you may contact your school or the State Examinations Commission.
QQI FET/FETAC LEVEL 5/6 EXAMS (2002-2018) If you are taking and/or have completed a QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 award between 2002 and 2018, please enter your assigned PPS number in the box provided so that CAO can obtain your examination details directly from QQI. Certificates will need to be provided for QQI FET/FETAC exams taken in conjunction with other bodies e.g. FÁS/Teagasc. NOTE: Specific QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 awards may be required for entry to particular courses. You should check the appropriate HEI literature to ensure that your QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 course is acceptable, and visit the QQI FET page in the Student Resources section of www.cao.ie. A full QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 Award is required; a QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 Record of Achievement is not sufficient.
FETAC LEVEL 5/6 (NCVA LEVEL 2/3) EXAMS (2001 OR EARLIER) Mention any pre-2002 examinations which have been fully completed, including the year taken and a brief description. Submit certified A4 photocopies of certificates for any pre-2002 NCVA Level 2/3 examinations.
If you require previous FETAC Level 5/6 examinations to be combined with your current year QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 examinations, you should contact QQI FET/FETAC to ensure that CAO receives the combined results in the current year examination results file. Please Note: Specific QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 awards may be required for entry to particular courses. You should check the appropriate HEI literature to ensure that your QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 course is acceptable and visit the QQI FET page in the Student Resources section of www.cao.ie. A full QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 Award is required; a QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 Record of Achievement is not sufficient.