CAO

CAO Schedule 2021

CAO | CENTRAL APPLICATIONS OFFICE | CYCLE 2021

5th November (12:00)
CAO online application facility opens. CAO Change of Course choices facility opens
20th January (17:15)
Apply online by this date to avail of the discounted application fee of €30.
1st February (17:15)
Normal closing date for applications.
5th February (12:00)
Online facility to amend course choices becomes available (€10 Fee)
Before 15th February
Paper Applicants will be sent a Statement of Course Choices. (Contact CAO if you do not receive it)
1st March (17:15)
Closing date for amending course choices
Closing date for completion of mature section of application form
Closing date for final completion of online HEAR/DARE forms
5th March (12:00)
Late application facility opens.
15th March (17:15)
Latest date for HEAR/DARE supporting documentation to arrive in CAO
1st May (17:15)
Closing date for late applications
5th May (12:00)
Online Change of Mind facility becomes available (Free)
Before 15th May
Late Paper Applicants will be sent a Statement of Course Choices. (Contact CAO if you do not receive it)
Before End of May
Statement of Application Record sent to all applicants. (Contact CAO if you do not receive it)
1st July (17:15)
Change of Mind closes
July
Round A offers for certain Non-Standard categories of applicants - applicants receive an offer by e-mail and SMS text
Round A acceptances closing date.
22nd July (17:15)
Exceptional closing date for late applications for those already attending a participating HEI
August/September
Round 0 offers for certain Non-Standard categories of applicant - applicants receive an offer by e-mail and SMS text
Round 0 acceptances closing date.
Current year Leaving Certificate results issued (expected)
Available Place facility opens
Round 1 offers (September 7th) and acceptances (September 13th)
Round 2 offers (September 20th) and acceptances (September 22nd)
Round 3 offers and acceptances
20th October Offer Season Ends.

Visit the CAO website for the most up-to-date information.

The CAO application process

The CAO application process is set out in the video below:

If you are unsure about anything, please contact us.

CAO Statement of Application Record

Before the end of May, you should have received a Statement of Application Record from the CAO. This final acknowledgement is designed by the CAO to enable you to verify that all information has been recorded completely and correctly. You must read the statement and follow the instructions carefully, and contact CAO if anything is incorrect or omitted.

CAO Statement of Application Record from CAO on Vimeo.

If I receive a CAO offer | what happens next?

This is an outline of the next steps for those offered a place on a Level 8 degree at Maynooth University via the CAO

Follow the offer and acceptance procedure as set out by the CAO:
Applicants who have been offered a Level 8 degree at MU will receive an information pack in the post in the days following receipt of their CAO offer. Details regarding what this pack includes are in the tab above.
Read the contents of the letter included in the pack carefully. This letter is double-sided and contains information about the orientation, registration and fee-paying processes.

First year undergraduates will start formal lectures on the 27th September, and have some orientation activities in the week of the 20th.

If you have questions - please channel them as follows - most are available on webchat (and/or the usual communication channels):

CAO Points 2020: Our Degrees

CAO Points 2020

DEGREE CODE	DEGREE NAME	POINTS 2020
MH001	PRIMARY EDUCATION	507
MH002	PRIMARY EDUCATION (GAELTACHT)	#
MH101	BACHELOR OF ARTS	318
MH103	MUSIC	#
MH106	PSYCHOLOGY	521
MH107	SOCIAL SCIENCE	346
MH109	MEDIA STUDIES	316
MH116	COMMUNITY & YOUTH WORK (FT)	#
MH201	BACHELOR OF SCIENCE	360
MH202	BIOTECHNOLOGY	455
MH203	BIOLOGICAL & GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES	430
MH204	PHYSICS WITH ASTROPHYSICS	422
MH206	THEORETICAL PHYSICS & MATHEMATICS	510
MH207	DATA SCIENCE	445
MH208	BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES	498
MH209	PSYCHOLOGY THROUGH SCIENCE	498
MH210	PHARMACEUTICAL & BIOMEDICAL CHEMISTRY	487
MH212	SCIENCE/MATHEMATICS/WITH EDUCATION	422
MH304	ENGINEERING	333
MH305	PRODUCT DESIGN	357
MH306	ROBOTICS	361
MH401	FINANCE	357
MH402	QUANTITATIVE FINANCE	476
MH403	ACCOUNTING	422
MH404	BUSINESS	430
MH405	EQUINE BUSINESS	357
MH407	BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTING	420
MH411	ENTREPRENEURSHIP	371
MH501	LAW	473
MH502	LAW AND ARTS/ACC/BUS/CRIMINOLOGY	451
MH601	COMPUTER SCIENCE ARTS	352
MH602	COMPUTER SCIENCE (SCIENCE)	351
MH603	COMPUTATIONAL THINKING	532
MH801	EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION	327
MH802	COMMUNITY & YOUTH WORK PT	#
MH803	BA LOCAL/COMMUNITY STUDIES	#

The Maynooth Arts Degree | CAO #1 First Preference Course

THE MH101 BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE: 318 CAO POINTS IN 2020 - 34 SUBJECTS AVAILABLE IN 2021

Most popular CAO 1st preference course in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Chosen by one in four of our Entrance Scholars (new Maynooth students who achieved 550+ points in their Leaving Certificate exams)
Preferred course for 1,300 students who begin MH101 annually
Four weeks to choose up to four subjects from a possible thirty four (one per group) - proceed with two subjects (or one) from 2nd year
Possibility to move into a specialised degree such as Law, Business, Computer Science (depending on 1st year subjects and results)
Postgraduate study - once you have completed your Bachelor of Arts degree you may wish to pursue postgraduate study:

It is possible through your Master's degree to become an expert in a subject that you have already studied or you could also undertake a Master's in a totally new discipline to complement your degree.

MH001/MH002 Bachelor of Education - Primary Teaching (B Ed)	Psychology	General
Some applicants to our MH001/MH002 Bachelor of Education - Primary Teaching (B Ed) degree are concerned about achieving the Leaving Cert points required. Our advice is that applicants should also consider the postgraduate route into primary teaching. The PME Professional Master of Education (Primary Teaching) is a two-year postgraduate teacher education programme for primary teaching for persons who possess a level 8 honours bachelor degree. The level 8 MH101 Bachelor of Arts degree is a popular choice for many students.	A Double Major in Psychological Studies will not lead to an accredited Psychology degree. However, you could pursue this at a later date through postgraduate study. Unlike MH106 and MH209, Psychological Studies in MH101 will not lead to a professionally accredited degree, however Psychological Studies graduates may be eligible to apply for consideration to entry to a one-year postgraduate programme to achieve a professionally accredited qualification in psychology (on a competitive basis - limited numbers).	Apart from professions requiring specialist training such as engineering and science, most career options are wide open to Maynooth’s Arts graduates. With about 40% of graduate jobs open to any discipline (gradireland.com), the quality of your degree and your ability to communicate your experience is often far more important than the content of your subjects.

Some of the transferable skills that an Arts degree offers include the ability to:

Lead and participate in discussions	Develop and argue opinions	Understand, assess and evaluate issues
Write well in a variety of formats	Propose ideas and theories	Think and act creatively
Organise workload and work to deadlines	Convey meaning precisely	Conduct research and evaluate sources
Read pages of text and pick out the essential points	Be objective	Work alone and on own initiative
Retain and absorb large amounts of information	Have confidence in your opinions	Be able to base conclusions on statistical research
Debate and persuade others of your point of view	IT skills	Foreign language skills (depending on subject choice)

COURSE FINDER

Electronic Engineering Mathematics Exam

This provides prospective Maynooth University engineering students with a chance to secure the required H4 (previously HC3) in Leaving Certificate Mathematics in order to meet the basic entry requirement for qualification to our Engineering degree (MH304). The exam is based on the content covered by Paper One of the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Mathematics syllabus and consists of one exam lasting two hours.

We also run a free preparatory course in advance of the Engineering Mathematics Exam. Separate registration is required for the preparatory course. Students attaining the H4 (60% or higher) standard in the examination will be deemed to have met the mathematics entry requirement to the degree.

Find out more.

Bachelor of Science Degree | MH201 | 2nd Year Pathways

Second Year Transfer Options from MH201 Bachelor of Science Degree.

Degree – Year 1	Degree Transferring to Year 2	Subjects and Grades Required in Year 1
MH201	MH202 – Biotechnology	Students must take Biology, Chemistry and Maths plus 1 other in First Science * Students must have an overall of 60%.
MH201	MH204 - Astrophysics (Year 3 transfer only)	Students attaining 60% in Experimental Physics and 60% in either Mathematics or Mathematical Physics in Year 2 of MH201 may apply to transfer into 3rd Year of MH204. Places are limited and are based on results.
MH201	MH207 - Data Science	Students must take Computer Science/ Mathematics/ Data Science plus 1 other in First Science* Students must pass the year and achieve an overall of 55% or greater in Mathematics in their First Science Examination.
MH201	MH208 - Biological & Biomedical	Students must take Biology, Mathematics plus 2 other * Assessed on a case by case basis on - A) Points on admission B) Year 1 results
MH201	MH210 - Pharmaceutical & Biomedical	Students must take Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry plus 1 other in First Science* Students must achieve an overall grade of 60%.
MH201	MH212 SED Science (with Education) MCS Mathematics and Computer Science (with Education) MED Mathematics (with Education)	Students must take Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry & Experimental Physics Results plus interview Students must take Mathematics and Computer Science plus 2 others in First Science. Results plus interview Students must take Mathematics & Mathematical Physics plus 2 others in First Science Results plus interview
MH201	MH304 - Engineering	Students must take Engineering Science, Mathematics, Computer Science plus 1 other* Subject to attaining 50% or over in the First Science examination
MH306 - Robotics	MH304 - Engineering	Subject to passing the year and attaining 50% or over in the Maths Modules
MH201	MH602 - Computer Science	Take 22.5 credits of Computer Science and pass Year 1

*Can include Critical Skills
Limited places available for transfers.

CAO | Open Choice

We know that making a final decision on the list of level 8 degree choices can be quite a challenge. We have therefore broadened the first year entry on many of our degrees in order to open up progression options to our students. This means that many first year students can spend the first few weeks of semester one sampling subjects or pathways within their degree before deciding on their options.

COURSE FINDER

The Mature Student Office (which is part of the Access Office) are committed to supporting the learning experience of Maynooth's mature students. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact them.

Entrance Scholarship Award

Entrance Scholarships are automatically awarded to incoming first year students who have obtained 550 points or more in the Leaving Certificate (from six subjects in one sitting).

The €1,000 award is for one academic year following admission to the University, payable in two instalments – one in November and one in February (subject to the Entrance Scholar remaining in good standing with the University).
For students presenting GCE A Levels the awards are based on achieving points from three/four subjects in GCE A levels.
No application required.

Bachelor of Music Entrance Scholarship

Entrance Scholarship for MH103 Bachelor of Music

Our Entrance Scholarship for one entrant to MH103 Music is awarded in September. The top scoring applicant, based on the MH103 remote assessment, is offered the scholarship of €1,000. The successful applicant is informed when they receive their offer for MH103 through the CAO.

CAO Available Places

Should places remain unfilled on any of the University's level 8 degree courses (after all offers have been made and the waiting lists of applicants meeting minimum entry requirements have been exhausted) such vacancies are advertised on the CAO website. Interested applicants can research their options via the CAO website after Round 1 offers are issued.

Visit the CAO Available Places webpage now.

Welcome Week | Orientation and Registration Information

The Student Engagement Officer and the Student Records Office take over from the Admissions Office team once Orientation and Registration Week begins. All applicants who are offered a place at MU receive a welcome pack in the post.
The Orientation Team send an email with details about Welcome Week.
The Records Office send an email with details about the registration process.
Click here to see what happens next.

First year undergraduates will start formal lectures on the 27th September, and have some orientation activities in the week of the 20th.

Your* CAO 2021 Application | Data Protection

Maynooth University aims to ensure the security and privacy of an applicant’s personal data by preventing the release of any details relating to a CAO applicant to any unauthorised person.

All enquiries about an applicant’s course choice/offer can only be discussed with the applicant. If a third party is enquiring on behalf of an applicant, the applicant must be present and give full permission (by phone/email etc.) to Maynooth University’s Admissions Office to discuss his/her course choices/results/offers with the third party. In all cases, the applicant will be required to confirm he/she is the applicant in question. Each applicant will be asked to confirm the following:

CAO number
Full Name
Full Address
Date of Birth

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MH101 Bachelor of Arts | Our Hugely Popular Flexible Degree

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Almost 4,000 students began studying a level 8 degree at Maynooth University in 2020. Join us in 2021. The CAO Change of Mind is open until July 1st 2021. First year lectures commence w/b September 27th 2021.