CAO offers, the rules
The questions forums answer wrong year after year. Short version here, full guide linked under each.
If I accept my Round 1 offer, can I still get a higher choice later?
Yes. Accepting an offer has no effect on the choices ranked above it. If a place opens in Round 2 for a course you ranked higher, the CAO offers it to you and you can switch. Full guide
Does declining an offer improve my chances elsewhere?
No. Declining gains you nothing. The choices above your offer stay live whether you accept or decline; the choices below are gone either way. Accept the best offer you have. Full guide
I was offered my fourth choice. Are choices five to ten still possible?
No. An offer removes everything ranked below it on that list. Choices one to three stay live for later rounds. This is why your list must be in genuine order of desire. Full guide
Are the Level 8 and Level 7/6 lists connected?
No. They are two independent lists of ten. You can hold an offer from each at the same time, and an offer on one list never affects the other. Leaving the Level 7/6 list empty throws away a free safety net. Full guide
I matched the cut-off exactly and got no offer. How?
Random selection. When applicants tie on the cut-off score and places run out, the CAO draws among them using a random number assigned at application. The points lists mark these cut-offs with *. In 2025 it applied at 54 course cut-offs, including two at the maximum 625. Full guide
How much can points drop in Round 2?
It depends on the course, and history is the best guide available. Some courses shed around 10 points after Round 1 most years; others have not moved once in six years. Each course page on this site shows its own After Round 1 record. Full guide
What can I change during Change of Mind?
Nearly everything: add courses, remove them, reorder both lists, for free, until 1 July at 5pm. The exception is restricted courses (portfolios, auditions, HPAT and similar), whose assessments happened months earlier. Full guide
What is the midpoint on the points lists?
The score of the middle-ranked applicant who was admitted. The cut-off tells you the lowest score that got in; the midpoint tells you what a typical successful applicant scored. Aim at the midpoint, not the cut-off. Full guide
Why do some courses show more than 625 points?
Portfolio and test courses add an assessment score to your Leaving Cert points. At IADT, for example, the portfolio is marked out of 600 and added to your points, so the combined scale runs to 1,225. Full guide
What does AQA mean?
All qualified applicants: the course admitted anyone who met the minimum entry requirements, with no points race. 25 courses did this in 2025. Full guide
Rules paraphrased from the CAO's published materials. Confirm dates and specifics for your year at cao.ie.