Free tool for schools
Free CAO Countdown Widget for School Websites
A lightweight, always-up-to-date countdown to the key CAO dates — applications opening, the 1 February standard deadline, late applications, Change of Mind, and Round 1 offers. Guidance counsellors and school webmasters can drop it onto any page in seconds.
Live preview
Next CAO deadline
Round 1 offers issued· 28 Aug 2026
The countdown updates automatically and always shows the next upcoming CAO milestone.
Copy & paste embed code
<iframe src="https://coursecompass.ie/embed/cao-countdown" width="360" height="220" style="border:0" title="CAO Countdown"></iframe> <p style="font-size:12px">Provided by <a href="https://coursecompass.ie/">CourseCompass - Career Guidance Ireland</a></p>
Paste the code into any HTML block on your site. Keep the attribution link — it lets us keep the widget free for schools.
How to add the widget
- Copy the embed code above with the one-click button.
- Open the page on your school website where you edit HTML (a "Custom HTML" or "Embed" block in most CMS platforms).
- Paste the code and save. The countdown appears instantly and updates on its own.
Always current
Automatically rolls to the next CAO deadline — no manual updates.
Works anywhere
A single iframe that drops into any CMS or static HTML page.
Lightweight & safe
No tracking scripts to install, no student data collected.
More than a countdown
CourseCompass gives Irish schools AI-powered career guidance and CAO course matching for 5th & 6th Year students.
Explore CourseCompass for schools