Guide to posting your documents
- Keep photocopies of ALL documents that you are posting. Put your name and CAO number on every document you send.
- Get proof of postage each time you are posting documentation.
- You can get a certificate of postage from An Post. For your convenience, there are four certificates of postage slips pre-printed on the back cover of the CAO Handbook. Just ask the teller in An Post to stamp one of the certificates when you are sending your documentation.
- For confirmation that the documents you posted arrived safely in CAO, enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard with your documentation.
- Submit all supporting documents to the CAO, Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway before 15 March 2024.
When should I apply?
Follow this link for all of the key dates and deadlines for your applications
Do I have everything I need?
Click here for full details of how to apply under each DARE category.
Provide a background on your educational experience
Click here for full details of how to complete your Educational Impact Statement.
Have you applied to AND were eligible for DARE last year?
If you were eligible for DARE in 2022 and wish to reapply for a college place, click here to find out how to carry forward your eligibility
Application Guides, Resources and Forms
Check out this page for printable resources to help support your DARE application
Terms and Conditions of Applications
Click here for the terms and conditions for your DARE application
News and Events
September Updates for DARE and HEAR
🎒 Back to School, Higher Options & Website Updates – September 2025 September is here, which means it’s back-to-school time for students across the country
Leaving Certificate 2025 Results and CAO Offers Information for DARE and HEAR Applicants.
Congratulations to the Leaving Cert Class of 2025! 🎉 On behalf of Access College, we want to offer a huge congratulations to all students receiving
DARE HEAR OUTCOMES FOR 2025 APPLICANTS HAVE BEEN RELEASED.
The outcomes for DARE and HEAR applications were released on Tuesday, the 24th of June 2025. If You Were Deemed Eligible as a DARE or