Official CAO data · Updated 5 October 2026
CAO points 2026: what every course actually took.
Round 1 and Round 2 cut-offs for all 1376 courses in 28 colleges, straight from cao.ie. Search a course, or type in your own total and see what it would have been enough for in Round 1.
- Courses listed
- 1,376
- Level 8 degrees
- 1,034
- Lowest cut-off
- 109
- Took everyone (AQA)
- 39
1262 courses listed.
- CK702DentistryUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8 · not all offeredR1625R2625
- DN670Economics and FinanceUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8R1625R2-
- TR034Management Science and Information Systems StudiesTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1625R2-
- TR052Dental ScienceTrinity College Dublin · Level 8 · not all offeredR1625R2625
- RC007DentistryRCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences · Level 8 · not all offeredR1613R2613
- DC116Global Business (USA)Dublin City University · Level 8R1602R2-
- DN230Actuarial & Financial StudiesUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8R1602R2-
- TR038Engineering with ManagementTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1602R2-
- TR031MathematicsTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1601R2-
- TR080Global BusinessTrinity College Dublin · Level 8 · not all offeredR1601R2601
- TR018Law and FrenchTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1600R2-
- TR015Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (PPES)Trinity College Dublin · Level 8R1591R2-
- TR072PharmacyTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1591R2590
- CK703PharmacyUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8 · not all offeredR1590R2590
- TR035Theoretical PhysicsTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1590R2583
- CK407Mathematical SciencesUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8R1589R2-
- GY505PharmacyUniversity of Galway · Level 8R1589R2-
- CK408Physics and AstrophysicsUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8R1582R2578
- DN440Biomedical, Health and Life SciencesUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8R1579R2578
- LM100PhysiotherapyUniversity of Limerick · Level 8R1579R2578
- TR032EngineeringTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1579R2578
- DC126Actuarial MathematicsDublin City University · Level 8R1578R2-
- DN420PhysiotherapyUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8R1578R2-
- RC005Pharmacy 4 year BPharm or 5 year MPharmRCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences · Level 8R1578R2577
- TR004LawTrinity College Dublin · Level 8 · not all offeredR1578R2-
- TR006PsychologyTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1578R2577
- CK204FinanceUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8R1577R2-
- DN150EngineeringUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8R1577R2569
- TR053PhysiotherapyTrinity College Dublin · Level 8 · not all offeredR1567R2-
- TR081Business, Economic and Social Studies (BESS)Trinity College Dublin · Level 8 · not all offeredR1567R2566
- CK704Occupational TherapyUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8R1566R2557
- TR056Human Health and DiseaseTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1566R2554
- TU871Optometry [Grangegorman]Technological University Dublin · Level 8R1566R2-
- CK307Law and BusinessUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8R1565R2564
- TR024European StudiesTrinity College Dublin · Level 8R1565R2553
- DN600LawUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8R1559R2556
- CK705Speech and Language TherapyUniversity College Cork (NUI) · Level 8 · not all offeredR1555R2555
- DC200Common Entry into Engineering (Undenominated Entry)Dublin City University · Level 8R1555R2-
- DN610Business and LawUniversity College Dublin (NUI) · Level 8 · not all offeredR1555R2555
- GY408Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Galway · Level 8R1555R2-
A cut-off is the points of the last applicant offered a place in Round 1, not a fixed entry requirement. Courses with a portfolio, audition, interview or admission test are hidden by default, because their scores include marks from outside the Leaving Cert. Every course also has its own page: browse courses by college.
Don’t know your total yet?
Put your grades into the calculator on the front page. It applies the best-six rule, the +25 Higher Maths bonus and LCVP the way the CAO does, then you can bring that number back here.
Work out my CAO pointsHow to read a cut-off without fooling yourself
It moves every year
A course on 337 points one year can sit 15 either side of that the next. Applicant numbers and places both shift. Treat last year as a rough marker, not a target.
Same score, no guarantee
When more people finish on the cut-off than there are places, CAO picks between them at random. Those courses carry an asterisk in the table.
Later rounds can be kinder
Offers get turned down, places reopen, and cut-offs can fall in Round 2 and later. Keep watching after Round 1.
Next steps
Points by college and course →
One page per CAO course with its Round 1 points, similar courses and a Round 2 note. Grouped by college.
CAO key dates →
Every offer round and acceptance deadline, checked against cao.ie each week.
CAO offers explained →
Why one offer arrives at a time, how upgrades work, deferring, and Available Places.
Leaving Cert appeals →
Viewing your script, when an appeal is worth it, and what an upgrade does to your offer.
Average Leaving Cert points →
Median score, how many got 625 and the percentile for any total, from the official CAO statistics.
Questions about CAO points
What were the CAO points for 2026?
Round 1 cut-offs ran from 109 up to 625 points across 1376 courses, with a median around 337. Medicine, veterinary and some of the Dublin design courses sat at the top; several Level 7 courses took every qualified applicant. Search the table above for a specific course.
Are these the points I need next year?
Not exactly. A cut-off is not a fixed entry requirement, it is simply the points of the last person offered a place in that round. It moves every year with the number of applicants and the number of places. Use last year as a guide, then leave yourself a margin of 10 to 20 points.
Why do some courses show more than 625 points?
Because the Leaving Cert is not the whole score. Courses with a portfolio, audition, interview or admission test add those marks on top, so the total can go past 625. Those courses are marked and hidden by default in the table above.
What does AQA mean?
All qualified applicants. Everyone who applied and met the minimum entry requirements was offered a place, so there was no points race at all.
What does the asterisk mean on some scores?
Not everyone on that exact score was offered a place. When several applicants finish on the same points and there are not enough places, CAO uses random selection, so landing exactly on the cut-off is not a guarantee.
Do points go down in later rounds?
Often, yes. When people turn down a Round 1 offer, places free up and the cut-off can drop in Round 2 and beyond. Missing your course by a handful of points in Round 1 is not always the end of it.
What do the Round 2 figures mean?
CAO published Round 2 cut-offs with the Round 2 offers on 7 September 2026. 315 courses made Round 2 offers and the table shows both columns; a dash means the course had no Round 2 offers, so its Round 1 cut-off was the last one. In 184 courses the points came down. A handful went up: those are marked as a new competition for Available Places, which is a separate process rather than a straight drop.
Where does this data come from?
Straight from the official points lists published on cao.ie for Level 8 and Level 7/6 courses. We reformat them so they are searchable and readable on a phone, and re-check them automatically. For entry requirements always read the college prospectus.