The CAO Handbook 2027 is published, and with it the full timetable of events for anyone entering higher education in autumn 2027. Below is every date and fee in that timetable, with the detail that sits behind each one.
The Central Applications Office (CAO) attaches a standing caveat to the timetable: dates may be subject to change, and the Important Dates section of cao.ie carries the live version. All times are Irish time.
The short version
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | CAO 2027 interactive handbook goes online |
| 5 November 2026, 12:00 | Application facility opens; course choices facility opens |
| 20 January 2027, 5pm | Discounted €35 fee deadline |
| 1 February 2027, 5pm | Normal closing date (€50); free change of course choices closes |
| 5 February 2027, 12:00 | Facility to amend course choices opens (€10) |
| 1 March 2027, 5pm | Amending course choices closes; mature section closes; HEAR and DARE forms close |
| 5 March 2027, 12:00 | Late application facility opens (€65) |
| 10 March 2027, 5pm | HEAR and DARE supporting documents must arrive at CAO |
| March–April 2027 | Most tests and interviews for restricted courses |
| 1 May 2027, 5pm | Late applications close |
| 5 May 2027, 12:00 | Change of Mind opens, free (expected date) |
| Before end of May 2027 | Check and Confirm email issued to all applicants |
| June 2027 | Leaving Certificate examinations |
| Late June 2027 | HEAR and DARE eligibility outcomes issued |
| 1 July 2027, 5pm | Change of Mind closes |
| Early July 2027 | Round A offers |
| Early August 2027 | Round Zero offers |
| August 2027 | Leaving Certificate results, then Round One offers (both dates to be confirmed) |
| September 2027 | Leaving Certificate appeal results and end of offer season (dates to be confirmed) |
The same timetable, with a live countdown to the next hard deadline and an add-to-calendar file for each one, sits on our CAO 2027 key dates page.
What the fees are
| Application type | Fee | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Early online (discounted) | €35 | 20 January 2027, 5pm |
| Normal online | €50 | 1 February 2027, 5pm |
| Late online | €65 | 1 May 2027, 5pm |
| Change of Mind | Free | 1 July 2027, 5pm |
There is also a €10 fee to amend course choices between 5 February and 1 March, and Available Places costs €50 for someone applying for the first time at that stage, while it is free for existing applicants.
Paper applications cost €50 if received by 1 February at 5pm, or €95 after that and before 1 May at 5pm. If you want a paper form you have to contact CAO well in advance and they will post it out.
All fees are non-refundable, and CAO is explicit that no extensions to closing dates will be allowed.
Why 1 February is the date that really matters
The €15 you save by applying before 20 January is worth having, but 1 February is the deadline with consequences attached. Several things become impossible after 5pm on that day.
Restricted courses. If you want to apply for a course marked as restricted, you must have applied to CAO by 1 February and have the course on your list by then — or add it using the €10 amend facility before 1 March at 5pm. Restricted courses normally require something extra: a portfolio, an interview, an oral or written assessment. There is one exception. If a restricted course shares the exact same assessment procedures as a course you had already applied for by 1 February, you may be allowed to introduce it on a Change of Mind, and CAO advises checking with the college first.
Mature applicants. Most colleges require mature applicants who want to be assessed on mature grounds to have applied by 1 February, with course choices in by then or added via the amend facility before 1 March. This does not apply if you only want to be considered on school-leaving qualifications.
HEAR and DARE. To be considered for either, you must have registered with CAO by 1 February at 5pm. Late applications are not considered. Our HEAR and DARE guide covers the eligibility criteria in full.
Individual colleges may also restrict late applications in their own right, particularly for mature applicants and for people presenting qualifications other than recently taken EU school-leaving exams.
Your course choices
You get ten Level 8 choices and ten Level 7/6 choices. The two lists are independent — what you put on one does not affect the other. The only point at which you have to choose between them is if you receive an offer from both lists in the same round, because you can only accept one offer per round.
There are three windows for changing that list:
- 5 November to 1 February at 5pm — free
- 5 February to 1 March at 5pm — €10, and intended for mature applicants or for adding restricted courses
- 5 May to 1 July at 5pm — free, and you can use it as often as you like
CAO's guidance on ordering is blunt and worth repeating: list courses in genuine order of preference, not on assumptions about how the exams will go or what the points will be. At the offer stage you receive the highest course on your list that you are eligible for. If you get your third preference, you can still be offered your second or first in a later round — but never your fourth or lower.
The Check and Confirm email
Before the end of May, every applicant is sent a Check and Confirm email. This replaces what was previously called the Statement of Application Record. It tells you to log in, verify that everything on your account is recorded completely and correctly, and click the Confirm button.
CAO's own wording is that there may be very serious consequences for your application if you do not follow those instructions immediately. The applicant checklist in the handbook sets an expectation of notifying CAO of errors within seven days of receiving it.
The offer rounds
| Round | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Round A (early July) | Deferred applicants; mature applicants; mature nursing and midwifery applicants; some graduate entry pathways; applicants needing visa arrangements; applicants who completed an Access course |
| Round Zero (early August) | Graduate entry medicine; additional mature, deferred and Access applicants; QQI FET/FETAC applicants applying to courses with a QQI quota |
| Round One (date to be confirmed) | All applicants on school-leaving exam results regardless of year completed; QQI FET applicants where the course has no QQI quota; additional mature applicants |
| Round Two onward (to end of September) | Offers issue until the season closes or all places are filled |
If you accept a lower preference offer, that does not stop you receiving a higher preference offer in a later round. Accepting a later offer automatically cancels the earlier acceptance. Ignoring it leaves your original acceptance standing.
How the points are calculated
The HEI Common Points Scale is unchanged for 2027.
| Higher Level | Points | Ordinary Level | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 (90–100) | 100 | — | — |
| H2 (80–under 90) | 88 | — | — |
| H3 (70–under 80) | 77 | — | — |
| H4 (60–under 70) | 66 | — | — |
| H5 (50–under 60) | 56 | O1 (90–100) | 56 |
| H6 (40–under 50) | 46 | O2 (80–under 90) | 46 |
| H7 (30–under 40) | 37 | O3 (70–under 80) | 37 |
| H8 (0–under 30) | 0 | O4 (60–under 70) | 28 |
| — | — | O5 (50–under 60) | 20 |
| — | — | O6 (40–under 50) | 12 |
| — | — | O7 (30–under 40) | 0 |
| — | — | O8 (0–under 30) | 0 |
Twenty-five bonus points are awarded for Higher Level Maths at H6 and above. The bonus is added first, and then your best six scores are identified — so the bonus only counts if Maths is in your best six after it has been applied. Only one sitting of the Leaving Certificate counts.
LCVP Link Modules score 66 for a Distinction, 46 for a Merit and 28 for a Pass, and are awarded by all colleges in place of a sixth subject — though not all colleges count LCVP towards eligibility requirements.
Where applicants are tied on points for a limited number of places, random number selection decides it. You can work your own total out with our CAO points calculator.
Medicine
Undergraduate medicine applicants need HPAT, and current-year HPAT results come to CAO directly from ACER.
For graduate entry medicine, applicants are ranked on GAMSAT results. For 2027 entry, the sittings that count are September 2025, March 2026, September 2026 and March 2027, and you must have indicated on your GAMSAT registration that you are applying to an Irish programme. Graduate medicine applicants to University of Galway will also have to complete an additional assessment or interview. Documents for graduate medicine applications must be posted to CAO, not uploaded.
Before you do anything else
The handbook makes one point repeatedly, and it is the one most often ignored: meeting the points for a course is not the same as being eligible for it. You will not receive an offer if you do not meet the minimum entry requirements, no matter what you score. Those requirements live on the college's own website and prospectus, not in the CAO handbook.
Two companion pieces are worth reading before you build your list: what changed in the CAO Handbook 2027 and every new course in the CAO 2027 handbook.
Sources: CAO Handbook 2027 and the Important Dates section of cao.ie. Dates are as published by CAO and may be amended.