Paul Murphy
Question:657. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the case of a person (details supplied) will be addressed. [26292/20]
View answerTuesday, 29 September 2020
Questions (657, 659)
Mattie McGrath
Question:659. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of clerical errors made by the CAO that have resulted in students not getting their correct course of choice; the steps taken to rectify such errors which are not made by the students in circumstances in which clerical errors arise as a result of the incorrect exam and CAO number being assigned; the steps available to students to ensure such errors are rectified immediately allowing students to receive their appropriate offers in first round offers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26451/20]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 657 and 659 together.
Universities and Institutes of Technology are autonomous and determine their own procedures for admission. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf.
Decisions on admissions are made by the higher education institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Therefore neither I nor my Department have a function in relation to such matters and information on clerical errors in CAO applications is not held in my Department.
I understand, based on the information available to me, that where the CAO is notified of an error in an application after Round One offers have issued, they update the account information and ask the higher education institutions to consider them for Round Two. A portion of the offers that are issued in Round Two every year, including this year, are to applicants who needed to be accommodated after adjustments had been made due to applicant omissions or errors, or administrative errors caused by the higher education institutions or CAO.
I appreciate that it is very upsetting for an applicant to realise their examination information was incorrect, and every effort has been made by CAO and the higher education institutions to facilitate such applicants in Round Two.