HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) and DARE (Disability Access Route) are third level admissions schemes which promote equity of access to higher education for school leavers either from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or school leavers with a disability or significant ongoing illness.
Students who believe they are eligible may apply for one or both.
Both schemes offer reduced points places to eligible school leavers and must be applied for through the CAO by February 1 at 5pm.
All elements of the online HEAR and DARE Application Forms must be completed by 5pm on March1, and paper copies of supporting
documents must be posted to CAO Headquarters in Galway to arrive by 5pm on March 15.
Right now these deadlines might seem very far away, but it is really important to start working on the process now, because gathering documents needed for the application can take a long time.
As with all CAO matters deadlines are non-negotiable.
Regular reminders will be posted here.
DARE
DARE is a third level alternative admissions scheme, offering points reduction to school-leavers (under 23) who have experienced additional educational challenges in second level
education due to a disability or a significant ongoing illness.
Participating third-level colleges, https://accesscollege.ie/dare/participating-colleges/, reserve a number of course places each year for students who have been accepted as eligible for DARE by the CAO.
Other colleges such as NCAD run their own individual supplementary admissions routes.
In general the closing dates are the same as for DARE and HEAR, but it is best to contact each college directly for information.
To be eligible for DARE students must meet both the DARE Educational Impact criteria and the DARE Evidence of Disability criteria.
Evidence of educational impact is presented in two ways – 1) through an online personal statement written by the student and submitted by 5pm on March 1; 2) by school personnel, completing the Educational Impact Statement (EIS),
https://www2.cao.ie/downloads/documents/2025/EIS.pdf, which must be then printed off, signed by the student and parent/guardian, and signed and stamped by the Principal or
Deputy Principal.
It is then the student’s responsibility to send the form to the CAO by March 15.
Part C of the form – Evidence of Disability – must be completed by a Health Professional if an existing medical report is out of date, and must also arrive to the CAO by March 15.
See here for list of the appropriate professionals for each disability https://www2.cao.ie/downloads/documents/2025/EDF.pdf.
Student CAO number, name and date should be written on the front of each page, and a copy of all forms should be made before sending by registered post.
It is a good idea to include a stamped addressed postcard so that the CAO can let you know the documents have arrived.
This might seem like a lot of work, but getting offered a course on reduced points could make it all worthwhile.
All relevant details and guidelines are given in the DARE Handbook 2025 https://www2.cao.ie/downloads/documents/2025/DARE2025.pdf.
The AHEAD website is also a great source of support https://www.ahead.ie/dare.
HEAR
The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a higher education admissions scheme for Leaving Cert students (under23) whose economic or social backgrounds are underrepresented in higher education.
As with the DARE scheme students who are deemed eligible for HEAR may be offered a place on reduced points.
Eligibility is based on satisfying a number of criteria – financial, social and cultural.
Family income must fall below a threshold for the year 2023 (See table below for details).
And a combination of two of five other indicators must also be present – having a Medical/GP visit card, being in receipt of means tested social welfare, being a member of an under-represented socio-economic group, attending a DEIS school, living in an area with a Disadvantaged Area Profile.
Once students apply online through the CAO form they will receive a supporting document checklist at the bottom of the application form.
These supporting documents must be posted to The CAO to arrive by 5pm on March 15.
As with the DARE application it can take a long time to gather these documents, so I strongly advise starting as soon as possible.
The deadlines are the same as for DARE -Apply online to CAO by 5pm on February 1; no later than 5pm on March 1 indicate in your CAO application that you wish to apply for the HEAR scheme and fully and correctly complete all elements of the online HEAR form; post your supporting documents to arrive in CAO not later than 5pm on March 15.
And the same advice applies regarding including CAO number, name and date on each page, retaining a copy of the form, send by registered post, and include a stamped addressed postcard.
All HEAR details and guidelines are available here
https://www2.cao.ie/downloads/documents/2025/HEAR2025.pdf.
Other College Access routes will be covered here on LaoisToday over the coming months.
Follow me on Instagram for regular updates and reminders also.
Gold Star Careers offers one-to-one or small group career advice, in-person or online, to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
See www.goldstarcareers.ie for more information.
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