I saw you referred to the Dare and Hear access schemes in your column last week. My daughter is hoping to go to university to study science next year. How can I find out if she’s eligible for them – and would CAO points be lower?
CAO points requirements are always a worry for students – and parents. Under the Higher Education Access Route (Hear) and Disability Access Route to Education (Dare), it is possible to gain entry to higher education courses on reduced CAO points.
Both schemes are for Leaving Cert students under 23 years of age. To qualify for either scheme you must first apply to the CAO (cao.ie); applications opened last week.
Your application to Hear or Dare must be submitted by March 1st, 2023, with supporting documentation posted to the CAO by March 15th, 2023.
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Dare is designed for students whose disabilities have had a negative impact on their second-level education. The applicant and their school complete an “educational impact statement”, which details how their disability has impacted their education, along with evidence of the disability.
Hear is aimed at boosting the number of students whose socio-economic background means they are underrepresented in higher education. Living in a disadvantaged area can negatively impact on a child’s school experience and exam results. There are six criteria used: income, medical cards, means-tested social welfare payments, socio-economic group, school and home address. You don’t need to match all six – there are different combinations for eligibility.
While the criteria for eligibility for the routes are different, they both operate in a similar way.
Each participating college and university has a reserved number of places to offer eligible Hear/Dare applicants at lower Leaving Cert points. For such applicants who require a reduced points offer, offers are made based on a sliding scale of those closest to the CAO points cut-off to those furthest away from it for their chosen course.
The reduction in points can vary every year and differs college by college and is dependent on a number of factors: the overall number of places on the course, the number of reserved Dare places on the course and the number of Hear/Dare eligible applicants competing for these reserved places.
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Those applying through these access routes are strongly advised to check with the higher education institute they intend to apply to about reduced points places.
Even if you are eligible for an offer, it is not guaranteed. An applicant would also, like all other applicants applying to college, need to meet the minimum entry requirements and any specific programme requirements before being considered for a Hear/Dare reduced points offer.
Check the accesscollege.ie website for further details on both schemes. Your daughter should seek some support on the completion of her application with her guidance counsellor.
