A TOTAL OF 4,027 applicants will receive 5,156 offers for third-level places through the Central Applications Office (CAO) today.

This round of offers – known as Round Zero – concern applicants who are not competing with those awaiting 2022 leaving certificate examination grades, or who are assessed on other criteria.

People who fall into the Round Zero category include graduate entry medicine applicants, additional mature applicants, deferred and Access applicants and applicants presenting QQI FET/FETAC qualifications for consideration for entry to courses with a quota for QQI FET applicants.

The offers will be available to view from 10am today, and successful applicants will also receive an email or text (if they opted to do so) with details of their offer.

Those who receive an offer in Round Zero must accept it by 3pm on 10 August if they wish to accept the place.

A total of 3,346 Level 8 offers and 1,810 Level 7/6 offers were issued in Round Zero this year.

The CAO has now issued more than 11,000 offers in Round A and Round Zero to nearly 9,000 applicants.

Round One offers will be issued on Thursday 8 September to all other successful applicants.

These offers will be available to view online from 2pm on the day and successful applicants will also receive an offer notification by email and text message if they have selected this option. Postal offer notices will not be issued.

The reply date for Round One offers is six days later at 3pm on 14 September.

Round Two offers will then be available to view online from 19 September at 10am.

CAO spokesperson Eileen Keleghan urged mature, deferred, graduate entry medicine and access applicants to log in to their CAO accounts today to check if they have received a Round Zero offer.

“QQI FET/FETAC applicants who applied for a course with a quota for QQI FET applicants should also check their account. To ascertain whether your course is a QQI quota course, go to www.cao.ie/qqi and search the entry requirements section,” Keleghan said.

“Offers must be accepted by 3 pm on Wednesday next, 10 August. Failure to accept an offer by the reply date will result in the offer being cancelled” she added.