My son says he could lose a college place if his CAO details are incorrect. Can this be true?

My eldest son is sitting the Leaving Cert this year. I received an email from his guidance counsellor warning us that he could lose a college place if all of his CAO details are not completed accurately. I’m not sure how to double-check this. Can you advise?

Your son’s guidance counsellor is right. In fact, several hundred of last year’s applicants were shocked when they failed to receive an offer in round one of the CAO due to “errors or omissions” in their applications.

In recent years the CAO has decided to cut back on letters which were traditionally issued in early May and set out the details of the data the CAO holds on each applicant. This process is now actioned through an email to all current-year applicants.

In the coming days he will receive this email to his CAO account notifying him to confirm that all of his information is correct.

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Included in this account information will be his Leaving Cert exam number. This did not exist when he submitted his initial application to the CAO earlier this year, but it has since been created by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). The CAO needs this number to match grades to the applicant.

The main cause for errors in 2022 occurred where the CAO was not able to match an applicant’s record – generated by them when they originally made their online application – with a name on the SEC records.

So, make sure your son ensures his correct exam number is recorded when the CAO email arrives.

Failure to do so leaves the CAO blind to an applicant’s Leaving Cert results, and therefore unable to offer them any course.

If your son selected the “SMS text message” option on his application, he will also receive a text message prompting him to log in to his account to view this email.

Where an applicant previously sat the Leaving Cert, they also need to check their previous exam number is recorded, as well as any other relevant qualifications.

Similarly, if an exemption in Irish is not recorded, the applicant must correct this to ensure they do not lose out on a college place.

[ My son is aiming for high CAO points. What if he doesn’t get the grades he’s hoping for? ]

On receipt of the forthcoming email from the CAO, your son must log into his online account and check all his personal details are recorded correctly. If not, he must rectify any errors or omissions found by the end of May. The CAO will update his account with any changes in early June.

Crucially, he must proceed to the bottom of his account home page and click on “confirm”. It is important to note that this will not prevent him from making changes to his course choices should he wish to do so up to July 1st.