Atlantic Technological University and Northern Irish CAO applicants

Just some information below for Northern Irish students who have applied to, or are interested in applying to, the CAO.

CAO APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON MAY 1^st

The CAO application portal will close on May 1^st at 5pm. The cost of making an application is €60 (roughly £53 based on today’s exchange rates). Students can make an application with minimal information as there is still lots of time to add detail. This is explained further in the paragraph below.

CHANGE OF MIND FACILITY OPENS ON MAY 5^th  

The FREE CAO Change of Mind Facility will open on May 5^th for all applicants in the CAO system. This will remain open until July 1^st at 5pm. The Change of Mind Facility allows students to add, rearrange or remove degree choices as often as they wish. The only exception to this is restricted degrees e.g. those that require an interview or portfolio. In ATU Sligo, our only restricted degree is Fine Art due to the portfolio requirement. This means applicants can choose any of our degrees as part of their CAO application until July 1^st.

FEES  

At €3000 per year, the student contribution fee is significantly less than in Northern Ireland and the UK. This is just over £2600 based on today’s exchange rates.

GRANTS 

Northern Irish students can apply for a fee grant through SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). SUSI is Ireland’s awarding authority for further education grants. Unlike student loans, fee grants do not have to be paid back. For more information see www.susi.ie

LOANS 

Students can also apply to the Student Loans Company for a student contribution loan. Students may also be entitled to a maintenance loan which will help with living costs. For more information see www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

LEVEL 8 AND LEVEL 7/6

Applicants can apply for up to twenty programmes on their CAO application – ten at Level 8 (honours degree) and ten at Level 7 (ordinary degree) or Level 6 (higher certificate). Students can progress through the levels in what is known as the ladder system e.g. Level 6 to Level 7 to Level 8 and so on, right up to PhD Level 10. If there is a programme that is of interest to a student and is offered at all levels, we recommend they include all programmes as part of their application to increase their chances of an offer.

NO PERSONAL STATEMENT

There is no personal statement required as part of the CAO application. Always good news for applicants and teachers!

A WORLDWIDE UNIVERSITY DEGREE

Our degrees are recognised throughout the world. We have graduates in every corner of the globe, working in a huge variety of roles. Students may be interested in viewing the ATU Sligo Student Stories to see the endless possibilities an Atlantic Technological University qualification will offer.