CAO Round A Offers were made available this morning at 10:00 a.m. to a total of 5,095 applicants. However, it seems that fewer young people are opting to study agriculture and veterinary-related disciplines, as the number of CAO applications for these courses has decreased this year. Data published earlier this year indicated that Level 8 agricultural courses were mentioned 1,834 times on CAO forms in 2023, compared to 1,903 in 2022.
Successful applicants will receive an email and a text message, if they have chosen this option, with details of their early offer today. Of the applicants, 4,349 will receive a Level 8 offer, while 1,621 will receive a Level 7/6 offer. It is worth noting that 875 applicants will receive offers on both lists. Round A offers primarily concern mature and deferred applicants, but they are also issued to some applicants who have completed an access course or those who need to make visa arrangements.
According to the Central Applications Office (CAO), a total of 11,571 students applied to the agriculture, forestry, veterinary, and environmental sectors this year. Out of the Level 8 agricultural courses mentioned, only 408 were listed as first preferences. This means that 77% of those who included these courses on their list placed them after at least one other option. On the other hand, 1,852 people mentioned a Level 8 veterinary course on their forms, with 865 of them citing it as their first choice.
The deadline for accepting Round A offers is Wednesday, July 12 at 3:00 p.m. Eileen Keleghan, head of communications for CAO, urged all mature, deferred, and other applicants who may be expecting an offer to log in to their CAO accounts after 10:00 a.m. today to check if they have received a Round A offer.
Another offer round, known as Round Zero, will take place on August 3. This round is intended for additional mature applicants, deferred and access applicants, graduate-entry medicine applicants, and applicants presenting QQI FET/FETAC. For all other applicants, Round One offers will be issued on August 30, starting from 2:00 p.m., with a reply date of September 5, by 3:00 p.m. Round Two offers will be available to view online from September 11, starting from 2:00 p.m.
