Available Places only become available after the Round 1 CAO offers have been made and arise only when a college or university still has places available for application. Available places open this year on the 29th of August at noon.

Additional course places become available, for example, where a new course may have opened after the CAO Change of Mind deadline, or where all the places on a particular course have not been filled after CAO offers are made. Once the waiting list of CAO applicants who meet the minimum entry requirements for that course have been worked through, these additional vacancies are then advertised and made available for application.

All Available Places are advertised on the CAO website HERE.

More information on Available Places can be found at www.cao.ie/ap

Who can apply?

• Students who are already in the CAO application system
• Candidates who have not already submitted a CAO application this year, but who now wish to apply (a fee is payable).

The application facility closes during the processing of CAO offers and will reopen after the CAO Round 1 offers have been made.

Conditions

Applicants for Available Places must meet the normal minimum entry requirements for the course(s) in question. Previously published points in an earlier round of offers should not be taken as an indication of the points required for entry for Available Places.

Timeline

After Round One Offers are issued, the Available Place facility operates on a weekly schedule of applications, offers and acceptances.
 

How to apply

The application procedure for Available Places is similar to the Change of Mind procedure. However, except for courses in which available places have been advertised, applicants may not re-order their original course choices.

• Log in to the application using 'My Application'
• Click on 'Add Level 8 Available Place Course' or 'Add Level 7/6 Available Place Course' as appropriate and follow instructions.
• Available place course codes may only be inserted higher in the list of preferences than any offer already received to date.

If an applicant wishes to be considered for any existing courses on their choices list, they must insert all available place courses below those they wish to retain.

If an applicant has already applied to the CAO this year, they insert Available Place courses into their existing list of course choices.

Applicants may still only have a maximum total of 10 course choices in either of your course lists (Level 8 and Level 7/6).

To add an available place course to a list that already contains 10 entries, the course code at the bottom of the list (i.e., preference 10) will be deleted.

Acceptance of an Available Place offer

Acceptance of an offer of an Available Place automatically cancels and supersedes any previous offer(s) and acceptance(s).

Note: Before making an “Available Place” application, those matching the description “Restricted Categories of Applicant” should always consult with the Admissions Office of the HEI concerned.  (Admissions Officers contact list)

Non-Standard Applicants

Mature applicants and applicants who have qualifications other than an Irish Leaving Cert 1985-2018 and/or 2002-2018 QQI FET/FETAC Level 5/6 are categorised as Non-Standard Applicants.

Such applicants must contact the appropriate HEI before completing an application. Remember to follow the fundamental rule of the CAO application system, i.e. place your course choices in genuine order of preference. If you place an Available Place course as your first preference and you get an offer on this course, then you will not be offered any course lower in your order of preference.