How to Accept an Offer of a place in First Year

Offers for first year are issued, via the CAO, over a series of rounds, from July onwards. If offers made in any round are not taken up, further offers may issue on subsequent rounds. The vast majority of first year offers are issued in August, in Round 1, after the Irish Leaving Certificate results become available.  Holidays or absence from your normal postal address need not be an issue. You may view and accept a CAO offer online at www.cao.ie. Since meeting deadlines is crucial, any applicant who will not be at their normal mailing address and who is unsure of the availability of internet access should authorize someone to open their mail and respond on their behalf.

If you do not accept your offer before the notified deadline the offer will lapse. If you try to accept a CAO offer online after the deadline has expired, you will be unable to do so. If you mail your acceptance and it reaches CAO after the deadline, they will notify you that you have missed the deadline and refer you to the college. Colleges are under no obligation to consider applicants whose response arrives after the deadline. Usually there is a waiting list for each course and, when an acceptance does not arrive on time, the place may already have been offered to someone on that list. In this case it will no longer be available to the original offeree.

That being said, we may, at our own absolute discretion, accept late responses. It may be easier to be flexible about late responses on rounds A and Zero before round 1. From round 1 onward and particularly for certain high demand courses that have a very limited intake. It may not be possible to accommodate late responses.

Please contact the Admissions Office if you miss the deadline. But be warned, missing an acceptance deadline may mean you miss out on a place in college.

What should I do if I accept an offer and then change my mind?

If you change your mind because you have an alternative offer see above. If you do not have an alternative offer but simply find that you are unable to attend college, you can apply to defer entering college until the next year.
If you have simply changed your mind about going to college, for example if you have decided, instead, to repeat the Leaving Certificate, attend a PLC course, travel, or to take up a job, then you should notify the college that you do not, after all, plan to attend. This will enable the college to offer that place to someone else on the waiting list.

Once I’ve submitted a formal acceptance, what next?

If you have applied for a student support grant, you should inform the grant authority which course you have accepted.  This will enable them to complete the processing of your grant application. Visit the SUSI website for more information.
You should also consider organizing your accommodation at this time.

Registration

You will be issued with a Registration Pack by TUS after the CAO final acceptance date for your particular round of offers. You should follow the instructions carefully in order to complete your online registration. You may not attend class until you have formally completed your online registration.

Induction & Orientation

You will receive an induction timetable with your Registration Pack. It is very important to attend all induction events.

What if I want to defer my place?

The main thing is to act quickly, as soon as you receive the offer.
You must apply in writing or e-mail to the Admissions Officer, phone applications are not accepted. Click here for information on deferrals.