Could my son really lose a college offer if his CAO details are incorrect?

I received an email from my son’s guidance counsellor warning us that he could lose a college place if all his CAO details are not completed accurately. His year group was told this happens to hundreds of applicants each year. 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 at the end of August due to “errors or omissions” in their applications.

In recent years the CAO has decided to cut back on letters that 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 your son will receive this email to his CAO account notifying him to confirm that all 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 applicants who are sitting the Leaving Cert in 2025.

The main cause for errors in 2024, as in previous years, occurred where the CAO was not able to match an applicant’s record – generated when they originally made their online application – with a name on the data feed provided to the CAO by the SEC, which manages the Leaving Cert exams.

So, make sure your son’s correct Leaving Cert number is recorded when the CAO email arrives. If it is missing, it is his responsibility to amend the online record.

Be sure he checks the “spam” section of his email account in case it ends up there. If your son selected the “SMS text message” option on his application, he would also receive a text message prompting him to log into 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.