The CAO offers came out this morning for over 50,000 students. With two-thirds of students getting their first choice college courses.
This year sees big changes in points with 40% of courses seeing an increase and half of all courses having their points decreased.
There has been a big rise in demand for courses like engineering, architecture and construction while arts courses have seen a drop in applications.
If you are one of the students who received the news this morning the next few days are very important.
In the case that you have got what you were looking for in the Round One offers then you have until the 24th of August at 5:15 pm to accept it.
The CAO advises applicants to use the online system stating that it is "easier, safer and faster than returning the paper offer notice”.
What to do next?
Eileen Keleghan, CAO Communications Officer, asks applicants to carefully consider any offers received in this round:
She said: “If an applicant accepts an offer in Round One this will not prevent them from receiving an offer of a course higher up on their courses list in a later offer round if a place becomes available and they are deemed eligible.
“Those who received an offer in this round should consider the current offer as being the last one they may receive.
“It is also important that applicants notify CAO immediately if there are any errors or omissions in any of the correspondence received from CAO. They must make sure to do this well in advance of the next offer round to allow any corrections to be considered in subsequent offer rounds.
“The acceptance window is shorter than in previous years for both Round One and Round Two, so applicants must take care to ensure that they have accepted by the reply date” she added.
Round Two offers will be available to view on the CAO website from 10 am on Wednesday the 29th of August.
There is no postal offer notice in Round Two. The reply date by which Round Two Offers must be accepted is Friday the 31st of August at 5:15 pm.
Am I eligible for a grant?
Many students may not have applied for a grant before finding out if they have secured an offer, however, they must now act fast.
If you have ticked the box on your CAO form that you are applying for a grant SUSI should now follow up automatically with the process.
There is no need to wait to be officially accepted to apply, you can put down the course that you are considering in the application process.
The sooner you apply, if you are eligible, the sooner you will receive the grant.
If you did not tick the box on the CAO form or if you are doing a PLC course you must complete a Final Course Acceptance through the SUSI website which can be found here.
Accommodation
One of the most fun elements to the college experience is living away from home, however, it can also be the most stressful.
With accommodation being so quickly snapped up many students will have put down deposits in areas they hope to be attending.
If you have not already put down a deposit then don't panic but it is time to be on the hunt. Most colleges will have an accommodation department dedicated to finding the most suitable places for their students.
A lot of the halls will already be full, however, there is the chance of students taking different offers which will free up a bed.
Student Union Facebook groups are a handy and instant way of finding out what is up for grabs and if students are looking for more people to house-share.
There are a number of different websites that offer listings:
