Q&A: I narrowly missed out on my first-choice CAO course. Is there another route to university?

I missed out on my first-choice course – commerce in UCD – by 12 points in last Wednesday’s round of offers. I have been offered another business degree programme in Dublin but really want to go to UCD. What are the chances that points will drop in later rounds? What advice would you give me at this stage?

The chances of a course like commerce at UCD dropping in points by this margin is remote, based on previous years.

This means you have until 3pm today to accept the lower-preference offer you received last Wednesday. After that, the offer lapses.

If you are appealing a grade in this year’s Leaving Cert you will only make up your 12 CAO points deficit for commerce if you were to go from a H2 to a H1. Any other upgrade is less than the 12 points you are short.

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If your mind is set on securing a place in commerce in UCD and you don’t accept your lower-preference offer today, you have a number of options.

1. You could decide to repeat the Leaving Cert, hoping to secure higher scores next year. This route, once popular, has diminished in numbers in recent years.

2. You could still apply for a place in one of the business programmes offered by further education colleges in the next few days. You can access a list of all such level-five PLC (post-Leaving Cert) programmes on the Qualifax.ie.

[ My son wants to study medicine but CAO points are very high. Are there other options? ]

These programmes are usually assessed through a series of eight modules or assignments which students submit monthly from October-May.

Further education (FE) or PLC courses as a route into university are probably one of the best-kept secrets of the education system. Many students - and parents - still don’t know enough about them, even though they offer an excellent route to higher education outside the pressure cooker CAO points system. In fact, there are about 1,500 CAO courses across all areas which admit PLC students. CareersPortal.ie has a detailed explainer on how the system works.

In your case, I am aware of a number of FE or PLC business students who, having completed their level-five business programme, secured an offer of a place in commerce in UCD. But in every case that I am aware of, the applicant secured distinctions across all eight modules in their course.

In my view, this is a very useful pathway for students who need a year to prepare themselves for the challenges of university life.

In PLC courses, students tend to have the time and space develop more independent learning skills, learn to work in teams and deliver projects on time and to the highest possible quality.

There is ample research evidence to show students who have spent a year or more in the FE system adjust to the demands of university life more easily than those who progress directly from second level.

If your heart really is set on UCD, seek a place on a locally-based business PLC programme immediately.

If in the unlikely event you receive an upgrade in the Leaving Cert, or the points requirements for commerce in UCD drop in the coming weeks, you will receive a late offer from the CAO which you could then accept.