The 2026 timetable at a glance
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6 August, 10am | Round 0 offers. Deferred, mature, Access and graduate-entry-medicine applicants. |
| 11 August, 3pm | Round 0 reply date |
| 21 August, 10am | Leaving Cert results. On the SEC Candidate Self Service Portal. |
| 26 August, 2pm | Round 1 offers. Online, by email and SMS. Round 1 course points published the same afternoon. |
| 27 August | Available Places facility opens |
| 30 August, 10am | Appeal applications open (SEC portal) |
| 31 August, 5pm | Appeal applications close |
| 1 September, 3pm | Round 1 reply date |
| 7 September, 2pm | Round 2 offers. Round 2 cut-off points published alongside the offers. |
| 9 September, 3pm | Round 2 reply date |
| 15 September, 10am | Round 3 offers |
| 17 September, 3pm | Round 3 reply date |
| 22 September, 10am | Round 4 offers |
| 24 September, 3pm | Round 4 reply date |
| 25 September, 11am | Leaving Cert appeal results. Expected date published by the SEC. Upgraded students who now reach a higher preference get that offer in Round 5. |
| 29 September, 10am | Round 5 offers. Final round of 2026, includes offers triggered by successful appeals. |
| 1 October, 3pm | Round 5 reply date. Offer season ends |
| 5 November | CAO 2027 applications open. Time not yet published by CAO. The 2026 cycle opened at 12 noon. |
Round 5 offers: Tuesday 29 September, 10am
Round 5 is the last round of 2026. Offers go live at 10am in the My Application section of cao.ie, with an email and a text to follow. You get an offer only if a place has opened on a course higher on your list than anything you already hold; if nothing appears, your earlier acceptance stands. The reply date is Thursday 1 October at 3pm, and the offer season ends that day. Round 5 also carries the offers triggered by successful appeals (results 25 September).
Round 2 offers: Monday 7 September, 2pm
Round 2 went live at 2pm on Monday 7 September: CAO issued 3,428 offers to 3,197 applicants (2,507 at Level 8 and 921 at Level 7/6), 1,270 of them receiving an offer for the first time. The reply date was Wednesday 9 September at 3pm.
Round 2 cut-off points were published alongside the offers. They can only stay the same or fall compared with the Round 1 points, because Round 2 is made up of places people turned down. Every course page on this site now shows both rounds next to last year’s figure.
Rounds 3, 4 and 5
After Round 2 the CAO moved to a weekly rhythm, with offers at 10am on Tuesdays and a Thursday 3pm reply date each time:
- Round 3: Tuesday 15 September, 10am. Reply by 17 September, 3pm.
- Round 4: Tuesday 22 September, 10am. Reply by 24 September, 3pm.
- Round 5: Tuesday 29 September, 10am. Reply by 1 October, 3pm. This is the last round; the CAO offer season ends on 1 October.
Each round is smaller than the one before. If you are waiting on a specific course, the Available Places list (open since 27 August) is worth checking too, because it shows courses with empty seats you can apply for directly.
CAO results 2026: what came out when
People search for “CAO results” but the CAO does not issue results. The State Examinations Commission released the Leaving Cert results on Friday 21 August 2026 at 10am, and the CAO released Round 1 offers on Wednesday 26 August at 2pm using those grades. If your grades came as a surprise, our CAO points calculator applies the best-six rule and the Higher Maths bonus so you can check the total yourself, and the points statistics page shows how your total compares with the other 65,322 candidates.
Leaving Cert appeal results: Friday 25 September, 11am
Appeal applications closed on 31 August. The SEC expects to release appeal results on the Candidate Self Service Portal at 11am on Friday 25 September. Upgraded results are sent to the CAO automatically. If the new total would have earned you a higher-preference course, the offer issues in Round 5 on 29 September. Full details in our Leaving Cert appeals guide.
CAO 2027: applications open Thursday 5 November 2026
Fifth years and repeat applicants: the CAO application facility for 2027 entry opens on Thursday 5 November 2026. CAO has not yet published the opening time; the 2026 cycle opened at 12 noon. Based on the 2026 cycle, expect the discounted fee deadline around 20 January, the normal closing date on 1 February 2027, and Change of Mind from early May to 1 July. We will confirm each date here as CAO publishes the 2027 timetable.
Frequently asked questions
When is CAO Round 5 in 2026?
Round 5 offers issue on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at 10am, online in My Application and by email and SMS. Reply by Thursday 1 October at 3pm, when the offer season ends. It is the final round and includes offers triggered by successful appeals.
When did CAO Round 2 offers come out in 2026?
Monday 7 September 2026 from 2pm. CAO issued 3,428 Round 2 offers to 3,197 applicants; the reply date was Wednesday 9 September at 3pm. Round 2 cut-off points were published on cao.ie the same day and are on every course page here.
When were CAO results 2026 released?
There is no separate "CAO results" day. Leaving Cert results came out on Friday 21 August 2026 at 10am on the SEC portal, and the CAO turned them into Round 1 offers on Wednesday 26 August at 2pm. Later rounds follow on 7, 15, 22 and 29 September.
When are Leaving Cert appeal results 2026?
The SEC expects appeal results on the Candidate Self Service Portal at 11am on Friday 25 September 2026. Upgraded grades go to the CAO automatically and any new offer issues in Round 5 on 29 September.
When does CAO 2027 open?
The CAO application facility for 2027 entry opens on Thursday 5 November 2026. CAO has not published the opening time yet; the 2026 cycle opened at 12 noon. In the 2026 cycle the discounted fee ran to 20 January and the normal closing date was 1 February, so expect similar deadlines for 2027.
What happens if I miss the acceptance deadline?
An offer that is not accepted by the reply date lapses. If you are still eligible you may receive the same or a lower-preference offer in a later round, but there is no guarantee. Set a reminder and reply on time.