Offers, Explained
Getting a CAO offer feels like the finish line — but how you respond, and on time, decides whether it actually is. Here’s how the rounds work.
Choose one offer per round.
After results are out, the CAO runs offer rounds. In each round you’re offered the highest course on your list for which you have enough points and a place exists. You may receive an offer from Level 6/7 and Level 8 but you can only accept one of these offers.
Round 1 lands shortly after results. Later rounds (2, 3…) follow into autumn as places free up. Each offer carries a response deadline — typically around 7 days — and if you don’t respond in time, your offer can lapse.
| Response | What it means | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts your highest offer | You accept the best course you’re offered. You’re finished — CAO stops sending you later rounds. | For most students with a good first offer, this is the clean choice. |
| Receives | Take any of the current offers; you stay in the running for higher ones in later rounds. | Useful if a later round might bring your preferred course. |
| Next available vacancy | Stay in the pool and take whatever is left in your list that still has a place. | A way to keep options open if you’re set on staying in the system. |
| Pending | You’re offered nothing new this round; your application carries forward unchanged. | Normal in early rounds — later rounds decide most outcomes. |
If the points aren’t there
Missing your target course’s points is disappointing, but genuinely not the end of the road. The routes that keep students moving toward the career they want:
- Your listed plan-B courses — the ones you ranked below it for good reason.
- PLC course progression — a year that often leads into a degree.
- Tertiary degree - start two years at PLC level, followed by two years in university.
- Repeating the Leaving Cert.
- Mature entry — a workable path through FET or work experience or both (see the mature students page).
Good to know
- Offers are made and accepted entirely in your CAO account — never accept a “place” offered by email or phone from an unknown source.
- Fees and registration happen with the college, not the CAO, once you accept.
Decision time? Book a calm second opinion.
Whether you’re weighing two genuine favourites or replanning around a points miss, I’ll help you decide — and act — with confidence.