Leaving Certificate Applicants

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements will vary depending on your chosen course, please refer to the individual course page for detailed entry requirements.

Please also note the following:

You must first meet the minimum entry requirements in order to be considered for entry to a course.
Where a specific grade is required in a subject (O6, H5 etc) an applicant must achieve that grade or better in order to be eligible for consideration.
The six best results, in recognised subjects, in one Leaving Certificate Examination will be counted for points purposes

Minimum Entry Requirements

Higher Certificate Level 6 & Ordinary Degree Level 7 Programmes	Level 8 (Honours) Degree Programmes
Five Grades at O6 or H7 in Leaving Certificate – Subjects must include either English or Irish – Minimum points of 160 – AND Maths at grade O6 or H7 or Foundation Maths at F2 for most programmes. *See note below	Six Grades at O6 or H7 in Leaving Certificate – A minimum of two subjects at grade H5 or better – Minimum points of 160 – Subjects must include either English or Irish – AND Maths at grade O6 or H7 or Foundation Maths at F2 for most programmes *See note below

*Mathematics is a required subject in most cases. However, there are some programmes for which Mathematics in not an entry requirement and some programmes where a higher grade in maths is required. Foundation Level Mathematics is accepted for the purposes of entry requirements in the case of any programme where Higher or Ordinary Level Mathematics is not a requirement.

Please refer to the individual course page in our Undergraduate Courses section for exact maths entry requirements.

Maths Bonus Points (Irish Leaving Certificate)

25 bonus points will be awarded for Higher Level Mathematics for H6 grades and above. Bonus points will be awarded irrespective of the year in which the examinations were taken.

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP)

The LCVP ‘subject’ will be considered as a passing subject provided the student achieves a pass grade.

This will apply to entry for Higher Certificate (Level 6), Ordinary Degree (Level 7), and Honours Degree (Level 8) programmes.

The ‘Link Modules’ result is considered and may be used as one of the best six subjects.

Points are awarded on the basis of the classification below:

Pass – 28 points
Merit – 46 points
Distinction – 66 points

Foundation Level Maths

A pass in foundation level mathematics at F2 level or higher will be accepted as meeting the minimum entry requirements for programmes which currently require a minimum entry level of O6 in ordinary Leaving Certificate mathematics. There are exceptions to this, please refer to the individual course page for detailed entry requirements. Where foundation level mathematics is accepted as a passing subject, at a minimum F2 grade, the following points scoring system will apply:

F1 – 20 points
F2 – 12 points

Note: Applicants are advised that while foundation level mathematics may meet the minimum mathematics requirement for entry to certain academic programmes, some employers require mathematics at ordinary level or higher to meet minimum educational attainment for some positions.

Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA)

The Leaving Certificate Applied does not meet the minimum entry requirements to Institute programmes. Holders of the LCA may gain entry following completion of a FETAC Level 5/6 Award.

Portfolio Submission

The following programmes require an ePortfolio to be submitted as part of the application process. CAO points for entry to this degree will include an applicant’s additional portfolio points with points from academic results.

ATU Galway City – Wellpark Road

AU618 Art
AU518 Art

ATU Sligo

Level 8
AU928 Fine Art

Level 7
AU822 Fine Art

ATU Donegal Letterkenny

The following courses require applicants to have obtained Art or Graphic Design O6/H7 in their Leaving Certificate Or to submit an ePortfolio for assessment

Level 8
AU330 Design (Common Entry) Degree Options in Animation/Film & Media/Graphic Design & Illustration/ Fashion Design with Promotion

Level 7
AU231 Animation
AU232 Fashion with Promotion
AU233 Graphic Design with Illustration

Submissions Dates

Submission dates can be found on our course pages

View all Courses

How to Apply – The CAO Process

Before Applying:

Read the CAO Handbook carefully, pay particular attention to important deadlines.
Attend ATU Open Days for courses you may be interested in https://www.atu.ie/study-at-atu/open-days
Research our Undergraduate Courses and the minimum entry requirements to ensure you meet any specific subject requirements and any restrictions that apply.
Make sure to look at courses with Common entry options available.

CAO Application Process

Set up your CAO account to avail of the early application discount.
Follow the guidelines available in the CAO Handbook for each section of the application.
ATU do not have any restricted programmes so changes can be made to your course choices after February 1^st
Certain programmes require portfolios, ensure you are aware of the submission dates.
Ensure to enter your Leaving Certificate Examination Number when you receive it, usually in March.
Use a valid Email Address (not your secondary school email address), this will be used for all communication from CAO.
Be aware of important dates in the CAO calendar available here

Preferences

There’s an important rule to remember when finalising your course choices or preferences:

List your courses in genuine order of preference. This order is very important because it determines the offers you receive.
You can move up the preferences on your list in subsequent rounds, but you can never move down.
Remember to complete the Level 8 and Level 6 and 7 sections of the CAO application form.

Watch the application demonstration

CAO Offer Stage

You can view the Leaving Certificate scoring scheme at cao.ie/lcscore
If you already have your results, you can use the points calculator on the CAO website to check your points: cao.ie/calc
Leaving Certificate examination results are considered for offers in Round One and subsequent rounds
First Round Offers: After the Leaving Certificate results are released, you’ll receive an offer for the highest preference course on your list for which you meet the minimum entry requirements, points and specific subject criteria.
Subsequent Round Offers: If, in the next round, you become eligible for a course higher up your list (due to points changing or places becoming available), you can be offered that course.
You will never be offered a course lower on your preference list than what you’ve already been offered in any previous round.
If you accept a lower preference course in the first round, it doesn’t prevent you from receiving an offer for a higher preference in subsequent rounds.

After accepting a CAO Offer

Once you’ve been offered a place at ATU through the CAO system, you need to accept the offer through the CAO website.
After each round of CAO offers closes and you’ve accepted an ATU course, you will receive an invitation to register via email.
It’s essential to use the same email address that you supplied when applying to the CAO, as that’s where all official correspondence, including the invitation, will be sent

Frequently asked questions about CAO

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