Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 October 2020
224. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason the CAO offered a place to a person (details supplied) which they accepted and made preparations for start of term, on an arts degree course at UCD only to have it subsequently withdrawn via a phone call from the CAO on 25 September 2020; and if he will request and provide this Deputy with copies of all relevant correspondence. [29389/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraUniversities 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 errors in CAO applications or offers are not held in my Department.
Where an error comes to the attention of the CAO after Round One offers have issued, they then update the account information and consequently the offers issued. A number of these adjustments are made each year due to applicant omissions or errors, or administrative errors caused by the higher education institutions or CAO.
If an applicant has an issue with their CAO application that is not resolved the applicant’s satisfaction, the option to appeal is available. The CAO has an Independent Appeals Commission, to which recourse may be had by applicants who believe that they have been treated unfairly by CAO, and whose complaints have not been resolved by CAO. The function of the Appeals Commission is to ensure that the rules are applied fairly.
Appeals should be addressed to: The Secretary, CAO Independent Appeals Commission, c/o Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway, Ireland.
