Now that Leaving Cert results are out, you may find yourself reconsidering your next move. Whether your first-choice course points have increased too much, or you achieved a better Leaving Cert than you had expected so that you now meet the minimum requirements to move onto Higher Education, but with no existing CAO application, you might now be interested in learning more about Available Places.

Available Places refers to college courses that are open to All Qualified Applicants. This means that if you meet the minimum requirements for one of these courses, you still have a chance to secure a college place this year.

Existing CAO applicants need pay no additional fee to apply for these courses, you can simply amend your form, once the facility is open from Friday 9 September. It is also possible to apply even if you have not already made a CAO application, for a fee of €45.

Those interested in applying for an AQA Available Place are advised to consult the CAO's own guide, which from Friday will also link through to a list of all the courses around the country that now fall into this category.

At National College of Ireland this year, some very exciting programmes have been opened-up to All Qualified Applicants – do your research now, and maybe we’ll be seeing you at NCI this Autumn:
•    BA Honours in Marketing Practice - NC020 
•    BSc Honours in *Data Science – NC025 
•    BA Honours in Early Childhood Education and Care – NC030 
•    BSc Honours in Technology Management – NC023 
•    Higher Certificate in *Data Science – NC105 
•    Higher Certificate in Business Computing – NC104 

*If you did not achieve a Maths H5 but are still keen on Data Science, learn more about our alternative maths exam (with free tuition in advance).

To assist you in making a choice, you can contact the college’s School Liaison Officer, Karen Campbell, by emailing karen.campbell@ncirl.ie, or come along to our on-campus open evening on Thursday 8 September, 5-7pm to speak with her in person.