Advanced Entry

Applications
To make an Advanced Entry Application you must be currently completing, or have successfully completed, a minimum of one year of study at Level 6, 7 or 8 in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) or an equivalent.

An Advanced Entry application can be used by an applicant to apply for entry to year 2, 3 or 4 of a relevant course at one of the following Higher Education Institutions (HEIs):

• Dublin City University
• Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
• Maynooth University
• Munster Technological University
• National College of Art and Design
• South East Technological University
• Technological University Dublin

In certain cases, those who hold a QQI FET/FETAC level 6 qualification may also be able use the facility to apply for a place on the second year of a relevant course at a third-level institution. All applicants should contact the Admissions Office of the relevant institutions for details of minimum entry requirements in advance of making an application.

To apply to Higher Education Institutions not listed above, applicants should contact the Admissions Office of the relevant institution for further information.

Please Note:

• Third-level students wishing to advance their qualification at their existing institution must apply directly to their current institution and not through the CAO system.
• When making an Advanced Entry application you can also apply for standard undergraduate entry using the same application form; you may enter nine Advanced Entry course choices and a further ten Level 8 and ten Level 7/6 undergraduate course choices.
• Availability of Advanced Entry courses is at the discretion of the institution and the option to apply for certain courses may be activated or deactivated as deemed necessary by the HEI at any stage throughout the application process. If the course code of the program you wish to apply for is not available in the Advanced Entry Course Search facility, please contact the admissions office.
• Order of preference does not apply for Advanced Entry applications; however, if an applicant is also applying for undergraduate entry to first year the normal rules apply and applicants must place their undergraduate courses in genuine order of preference for this section of the application form.
• Certified photocopies of supporting documentation must be posted to ‘Advanced Entry, CAO, Tower House, Eglinton St., Galway’. Write your CAO application number on each document. Please download, complete and attach the following cover sheet to your documents. Failure to address this post to 'Advanced Entry' and attach the cover sheet may cause a delay in your documentation being processed.
  Download Cover Sheet
• Applications will not be assessed until spring 2024 at the earliest.

Offers

Offers can be made to successful applicants at any stage in the application process and all decisions on admissions are made by the Admissions Office of the relevant institution. Offers will be made by e-mail only and all acceptances must be made online via www.cao.ie by the deadline.

An Advanced Entry applicant has 14 days to accept an Advanced Entry Offer and can, if deemed eligible, receive an offer for all of the Advanced Entry courses that they have applied for.

Advanced Entry applicants can accept multiple courses but only the last acceptance at the closing date for acceptances will be recorded as the accepted course.