QQI Level 5/6 score calculator
One line per component on your QQI results. Most components are 15 credits; check yours on the transcript.
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How CAO scores a QQI award
This is the scheme every CAO college has used since 2017, in four steps:
- List your components best grade first: Distinctions, then Merits, then Passes.
- Count down the list until you reach 120 credits. Anything past 120 is dropped. If a component straddles the line, only the credits up to 120 count.
- Score each counted component as credits × grade weight. Distinction is 3, Merit 2, Pass 1.
- Add them up (the most is 360), multiply by 13, divide by 12 and round to the nearest whole number. The most you can get is 390.
Most components are 15 credits, so a typical eight-module award is exactly 120 credits and every module counts. Components can also carry 5, 10, 20 or 30 credits, which is where the sum gets fiddly.
The CAO’s own worked examples
The calculator above reproduces all four examples in the CAO scoring document.
| Results | Credits | Counted sum | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Distinctions, all 15 credits | 135 | 8 × 45 = 360 | 390 |
| 7 Distinctions: 30, 30, then five of 15 | 135 | 360 | 390 |
| D D D D M M P P (30, 15, 15, 10, 30, 15, 15, 15) | 145 | 305 (5 credits of the first Pass, none of the second) | 330 |
| D D D D M M P P P (15, 15, 10, 10, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15) | 125 | 250 (10 credits of the last Pass) | 271 |
The third example shows why order matters. Passes are always the components cut when you are over 120, so a ninth module only helps if it is better than your weakest counted grade.
Three rules that catch people out
You need the full major award
CAO only scores a full QQI Level 5 or 6 major award. A Component Certificate does not count, however many credits it shows. If you built the award over more than one year, it is up to you to apply to QQI for the major award.
The score is not the whole entry requirement
Many courses accept only certain major awards, and some name components you must have, at a set grade (for example a Distinction in a maths module), or a minimum set such as five Distinctions. The CAO QQI search lists the awards and essential components for each course code. If you meet those and have the score, you are in the running.
Leaving Cert and QQI scores are never added
QQI results cannot be added to Leaving Cert points. Colleges look at each qualification on its own terms: where you hold both and both meet a course’s requirements, SETU’s published policy, for example, is to use whichever score is higher. So a QQI score of 330 and a Leaving Cert of 300 give you 330 on courses that accept your award, and 300 on courses that do not. Work out the Leaving Cert side with the points calculator.
Quota places and Round Zero
Some courses keep a quota of places just for QQI applicants, and you compete only against other QQI applicants for them. Those offers go out in Round Zero in early August, ahead of Round 1. Nursing is the best-known example. The 2026 CAO list included 31 places on General Nursing at TUS (US877), 25 at UCD (DN450), 20 at UCC (CK710), and 10% of places across DCU’s four nursing degrees. Courses without a quota consider your QQI score in Round 1 like everyone else.
Make sure the PPS number your college gave QQI is the same one on your CAO form. CAO uses it to pull your results from QQI each June and emails every QQI applicant to check them online. Results that CAO does not receive electronically (City & Guilds, BTEC and some other further education awards) have to be sent in yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum CAO score for a QQI Level 5 award?
390. Eight Distinctions on 15-credit components give 120 credits × 3 = 360, and 360 × 13 ÷ 12 = 390.
How many CAO points is a QQI Distinction worth?
A 15-credit Distinction scores 45 before scaling, which works out at about 48.75 points of your final score. A Merit on the same component is worth about 32.5 and a Pass about 16.25. The final total is rounded once, at the end.
Can I combine my Leaving Cert points and my QQI score?
No. QQI results cannot be added to Leaving Cert points. Where you have both and both meet the course requirements, colleges generally use the higher of the two (SETU publishes this rule), so 330 and 300 means you compete on 330, not 630.
Do I need a full major award?
Yes. CAO needs a full QQI Level 5 or 6 major award, normally 8 components and at least 120 credits. A Component Certificate or Record of Achievement is not enough, even if you have the credits.
When do QQI applicants get CAO offers?
Courses with a reserved QQI quota consider QQI applicants in Round Zero in early August. Courses without a quota consider you in Round 1 alongside school leavers.
Does my QQI course give me access to any CAO course?
Not always. Many courses only accept particular major awards, and some ask for specific components such as a Distinction in a maths or science module. Check the course on the CAO QQI search before you rely on it.