Guidance

Guidance Academic Year 2024 / 2025

OPEN DAYS

TU Dublin please click or copy and paste the following link for more information https://shorturl.at/rvKV6

Tallaght Campus Tuesday 1st April 17:30 - 19:30

Blanchardstown Campus Thursday 3rd April 17:30 - 19:30

Grangegorman Campus Saturday 5th April 10:00 - 13:00

Bolton Street Campus Saturday 5th April 10:00 - 13:00

DCU Open day Glasnevin and St. Patrick's campus Saturday 5th April 10:00 - 15:00

Please click or copy and paste the following link for more information https://www.dcu.ie/spring-open-day

Free Higher Level English and Ordinary Maths revision classes

National College of Ireland will hold Free Revision Sessions for Leaving Certificate students for Ordinary Maths and Honours English during the Easter Break, Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th April, at our Dublin 1 campus.

Specialist teachers host these sessions to show students how to tackle the tough questions on the paper and how best to prepare for the exams. The teachers also provide comprehensive notes to help students revise.

The Leaving Certificate Revisions Sessions will take place on:

English (Honours)
- Tuesday 22nd April
Maths (Ordinary)
- Wednesday 23rd April
- Thursday 24th April

Please copy and paste the link below for more information.

https://shorturl.at/em5dF

Scholarships

Scholarships are now open in many of our universities. If you want to find out more about what scholarships are available, then click or copy and paste the following link https://careersportal.ie/scholarships/index.php

Below is information about 2 scholarships that are currently available for students.

The All Ireland Scholarships which were established by JP McManus in 2008 to provide financial support to gifted students pursuing third-level education. Each year, 125 scholarships are awarded across the 32 counties of Ireland. Recipients receive €6,750 per annum in the Republic of Ireland, covering the duration of their undergraduate studies. 1,924 scholarships have been awarded across the island of Ireland to date.

There is no application process for an All Ireland Scholarship in the Republic of Ireland. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation sand Science (DFHERIS) works with SUSI and the AIS Trust to identify scholarship candidates that fit the eligibility criteria.

To qualify for an All Ireland Scholarship, eligible students should meet the following criteria:

You must have attended a non-fee-paying school

You must have completed the Leaving Certificate Examination for the first time

You must in receipt of a third level education maintenance grant from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), having applied for same on or prior to the SUSI closing date.

You cannot be a recipient of another third level education scholarship

We would be grateful if you could share the following videos with your students who might be eligible for the All Ireland Scholarship and on your social media channels.

A special thank you to Sarah Kelly (2021 Scholarship Winner) and Charles Stuart (2009 Scholarship Winner) for sharing their inspiring stories. We wish them both the very best in their future careers.

Please get in touch if you have any questions by emailing info@allirelandscholarships.com. For more information, visit allirelandscholarships.com.

VIDEO LINKS

All Ireland Scholarships Official Video 2025

Sarah Kelly 2021 Scholar

Republic of Ireland Criteria

Sports Scholarship Applications Are Open in NCI

National College of Ireland is delighted to offer a scholarship which develops sporting excellence and fosters talent. The package includes:

Financial bursary of €2,000 per year of undergraduate study
Annual gym membership including an individual training programme
Nutrition and dietary advice and peak performance coaching
Academic and learning development advice and on-going support

Students can also avail of a reduction of 30 CAO points across our undergraduate courses. Visit our website to explore this opportunity:

Please click or copy and paste the link below.

https://shorturl.at/2gA7j

UCD Business

We’re excited to introduce Quinnstalive, a brand-new Instagram Live series from the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business.

Hosted by Stage 4 Commerce student Lucy Duigan, each episode covers different aspects of life at Quinn, with Lucy chatting to students from across the school. It's an ideal way for prospective students to learn about life at the Quinn School, our community and the opportunities available.

Our first episode, "Meet Our Students," took place last month and you can watch it back here.

Quinn Internship Programme

📅 Thursday, 20th March @ 5pm
📍 Programme Live on Instagram – @ucdquinnschool

We'll be chatting with students currently interning at PwC, Microsoft, and more. Don't miss it! There will be five episodes in total, so there will be lots more to come. See the full schedule attached.

As always, we would appreciate your support in making your students aware of this event. A poster highlighting the event details can bedownloaded here and we would ask you to either share this with your students or download a copy and display the poster on your school notice board.

Follow @ucdquinnschool and set a reminder to tune in.

The next episode takes place this Thursday, 20th March where we will be discussing the Quinn Internship Programme and we invite you to join us.

See full schedule below.

February 27th - Meet our students. See Replay Here
March 20th - UCD Quinn Internship Programme
April 3rd - Global Experience: Study Abroad
April 24th - Meet the UCD Quinn class of 2025.
May 29th - CAO & Q&A

CAO IMPORTANT UPDATE

In the coming days/weeks, CAO will begin emailing a number of applicants outlining some steps they must take to either supply, edit or remove examination data (copy & paste this link for a copy of the email text - https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=school_corr&bb=schools ).

Emails will issue to applicants in the following instances:

Current year LC candidates, the CAO matching process did not find a corresponding examination record and their examination number is currently blank.

This email is not the Statement of Application email - this is an additional email arising as a result of CAO`s examination data checking and matching process.

This facility will be open to such applicants until 1 April. CAO will take the information supplied, update correct information and then send the Statement of Application email to all applicants in early May. At this point we will open the facility again until the end of May so applicants can submit amendments in response to the statement.

International Financial Services Apprenticeship - National College of Ireland

The higher certificate and higher diploma programmes in financial services allow you to 'earn while you learn' by combining paid on the job training with academic study which is delivered at National College of Ireland. These two-year programmes are suitable for leaving certificate students or those with an equivalent qualification, who have an interest in pursuing a career in the financial services sector. Please follow the link below.

https://rb.gy/jqkpfy

STILLORGAN COLLEGE of Further Education

This is just a reminder that we are now enrolling for the 2025/2026 academic year. Applications are done online through our website www.stillorgancollege.ie

We offer well-established courses in 3D Animation, Art, Animation, Media, Multimedia with Game Design, Multimedia with Digital Video, Journalism, Photography, Event Management, Travel & Tourism and Computer Skills for Business.

There are no charges for these courses (apart from a non-refundable booking deposit of €50)

Students on these courses are also eligible to apply for the SUSI student grant scheme.

As you are aware, PLC courses are an excellent preparation for work as well as offering an alternative route to further study at third level through the Higher Education Links Scheme. We take particular pride in the number of students who progress to degree courses in Higher Education each year after completing a course here. To give just two examples from recent years: over 90% of last year’s students on the Art Foundation course were offered places on degree courses in either NCAD or IADT Dún Laoghaire; six recent graduates from the Media Foundation class are now studying Communications in DCU after successfully obtaining offers via the Higher Education Links Scheme.

PLC courses are also an excellent way for a student to try out a subject area if they’re not totally certain about their college choice.

The college also offers students the chance to participate on the Erasmus+ programme which involves sending students on a 2 week work experience programme to another European country.

Our Information Evening takes place Wednesday 19 March from 16.30 -18.30. We encourage prospective students to visit the college to view facilities and meet the teachers. Parking is available on college grounds.

We also have another Open Day on Wednesday 21 May from 10:00 – 15:30.

Also, if students wish to see the standard of work produced on our creative courses, our end-of-year exhibition opens on Wednesday, 14 May 2025 from 6.30-8.30pm. This exhibition will run until Wednesday, 21 May. If you are interested in bringing a class group of Transition or 5th year students to see the work on show, just email us and we would be delighted to facilitate a visit.

In the past number of years, the number of applications for our courses far exceeded our capacity so we encourage prospective students to apply early for their chosen course.

For more information, we can be contacted at info@stillorgancfe.ie or by telephone on 01 - 2880704.

Business with Psychology Tertiary Degree Ballyfermot

This course is delivered collaboratively between two institutions: years 1 and 2 students will study in Ballyfermot College of

Further Education. In years 3 and 4 students are based at the Institute of Art and Design (IADT).

BCFE Business and Psychology Degree Programme.pdf

Tertiary Degree courses

https://nto.hea.ie/

What is it?

A tertiary degree is a new way to get an undergraduate degree at Level 7 or Level 8 NFQ. Education and Training Boards (ETBs) have partnered with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs ) to co-design and co-deliver degrees.

How do you study it?

You start studying in your local further education and training centre, then progress, usually in your second or third year of study, to a HEI campus.

How do you get in?

Tertiary degrees have a different entry process, but in the end, students graduate from the HEI with the same degree as everyone else.

There are many unique features that make tertiary degrees a great option, including smaller class sizes, the dual benefits of both campuses, and no points race for entry.

What's unique about them?

A tertiary degree is currently the only guaranteed pathway from further education to higher education in Ireland, making an undergraduate degree more accessible for more people.

Pearse College open day

13th March 10:00 - 14:00 - not necessary to be absent for a full school day

Study options:

Pre-University Science
Food & BioScience
Pathways to Apprenticeships
Care of the Older Person
Physiotherapy Assistant
Speech & Language Therapy Assistant
Early Learning and Care
Sports & Fitness
Soccer Coaching and Sport Psychology
Architecture
Construction & Engineering Studies
Landscape Architecture
Carpentry & Furniture Making
Product Design
Horticulture
Computer Science
Business, Information & eCommerce
PreUniversity Marketing & Business
Frontline Office, IT & Reception Skills
University Access Course (linked to TCD)
Archeology, Folklore & Heritage Studies
European Languages and Studies
Preparation for further & higher education ESOL (Level 4)
Photography

ESB Apprenticeship

https://www.esbnetworks.ie/about-us/careers/apprenticeship

Apprenticeships at NCI

Recruitment Apprenticeship
International Financial Services Apprenticeship

https://www.ncirl.ie/Study/Apprenticeships-at-NCI

Language Exemption

Apply directly:

NUI's – Download form https://exemptions.nui.ie/ - You will need to upload a copy of your birth certificate.
Trinity – Direct (paper application) - Talk to the Guidance Counsellor in the school
UL – Direct (online application) https://www.ul.ie/academic-registry/leaving-certificate-students

*All above need supporting documentations

*Ensure this is noted on Statement of Application in May

CAO Information Presentation

Firhouse CAO .pdf

Sports and Exercise Science

This short podcast is aimed at anyone who might want to know more about studying sport and exercise science - from current secondary students, to parents, teachers and guidance counsellors or someone considering a return to 3rd level education - this is the episode for you.

In this short form episode, we will give you the broad strokes of what studying sport and exercise science at 3rd level is all about, what the university experience might entail and importantly, what career opportunities are out there for graduates.

https://www.isesa.ie/podcast

CAO now open

CAO is now open for registration log onto www.cao.ie

The Central Applications Office processes applications for undergraduate courses in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Decisions on admissions to undergraduate courses are made by the HEIs who instruct CAO to make offers to successful candidates.

The fee for an online application is €45.
There is an online discounted fee of €30 if you apply before 20th January (17:00)

There will be an online information session for parents on Monday 11th November at 19:00. A VSmail has been sent with the details.

Careers in Hospitality

Shannon College of Hotel Management

Join us at one of our upcoming events. Explore our campus, meet our students and staff and discover the world of opportunity awaiting you through a degree in Business and Hospitality Management.

You will have the opportunity to discover more about what our courses entail, Interview insights, access routes, assistance and CAO points. You will have the chance to visit our Food and Beverage building as well as our culinary arts department. You will get to speak with our students about student life, extra curricular activities, academics, work load and placements, discussing languages and travel opportunities.

We will be on site to answer your questions and guide you in the right direction for your best possible future.

We look forward to welcoming you!

To register, click the ink below.
https://forms.office.com/e/BtriUPTAEu

New Veterinary course at ATU

A new veterinary course has just been announced. You can now Veterinary Medicine in ATU. Click or copy and paste the link below for more information

https://www.atu.ie/news/atlantic-technological-university-announced-as-second-provider-of-veterinary-medicine

Physiotherapy

Interested in studying Physiotherapy, then this leaflet will be a helpful guide.

Studying-Physiotherapy-Working-as-a-Physiotherapists-V2-Sept-2024.pdf

DARE

DARE - Disability Access Route to Education

DARE is a third level alternative admissions scheme for school-leavers whose disabilities have had a negative impact on their second level education. DARE offers reduced points places to school leavers who, as a result of having a disability, have experienced additional educational challenges in second level education.

To be eligible for DARE you must meet both the DARE Educational Impact criteria and DARE Evidence of Disability criteria.

What types of disabilities does DARE consider?

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome)
Blind/Vision Impaired
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD) – Dyspraxia
Dyscalculia/ Significant Numeracy Difficulties
Dyslexia/ Significant Literacy Difficulties
Mental Health Condition
Neurological Condition (including Brain Injury and Epilepsy)
Physical Disability
Significant Ongoing Illness
Speech and Language Communication Disorder

Highlighted in Blue above

It is important to note that applicants applying under the following disability categories must provide a report that is less than 3 years old, i.e. dated after 1 February 2022