Mature Students
If you’re 23 or over, you’re not replaying the Leaving Cert points game — you’re playing a different one, with its own rules and much of the paperwork in your favour.
23+ means a different set of rules.
The CAO treats mature students — generally aged 23 or over on 1 January of the year you hope to start — as a separate admission category on many courses. You apply through the CAO like everyone else, but colleges assess mature applicants on their own criteria rather than Leaving Cert points alone.
No Leaving Cert? No problem. Colleges evaluate mature applications on interview, portfolio, prior learning, work and life experience, often alongside a requirement for maths/English or a foundation programme. Your points history is not the gatekeeper for a mature student.
The steps to follow
| Application | Through the CAO, same course application — tick “mature” when you register. |
| Deadlines | Main CAO deadline (1 February), but many courses ask for a mature supplementary form or interview by 1 June — and sometimes earlier. Check per course. |
| Assessment | Set by each college: interview, written task, portfolio, skills assessment, or a mix. |
| Fees | Mature students typically qualify for free-fees support like other first-time third-level students — but it’s worth checking your specific situation. |
Where mature students get stuck
- The hidden deadlines. The CAO form says February, but the extra mature form requires extra written work and a statement of interest.
- Knowing what the mature student entry requirements are for each college.
- Financial planning — Free Fees Initiative, SUSI grant, and returning to study with a family. It is worth researching all financial support available.
Before you go further
- Check your exact course’s mature student entry requirements — it’s set by the college, not centrally.
- Application fees are the same as for school leavers; there’s no extra “mature” fee at CAO level.
It’s never too late — but it does need a plan.
Book a session and we’ll map which courses genuinely work for a mature applicant, what each one asks for, and the deadlines that actually matter.