STUDENTS WHO APPEAL the results of their Leaving Certificate will now be informed of the outcome of their appeals a full three weeks earlier than the normal timeframe.

This means that students who have applied for third-level courses through the Central Applications Office (CAO), where their appeal result means they could obtain their higher course preference, will be able to take up their place in the current academic year, rather than be deferred by a year.

The announcement comes following the recent judgement in a High Court case taken by Rebecca Carter.

Carter won a High Court judicial review case to have her amended results considered by the State Examinations Commission. 

Her results had been incorrectly totted up meaning her points score fell marginally short of achieving that necessary to earn a place studying veterinary medicine at UCD.

Carter claimed that under the current timeframe for processing appeals, she would have not been able to commence that course in the current academic year, but would have instead been required to accept a deferred offer for the following year. 

In a statement today, Minister for Education, Joe McHugh announced the changes to the Leaving Cert appeals process from 2019 “to help our students in the coming years”. 

“I am confident that these changes, together with the measures being introduced by the Higher Education Institutions, will significantly improve the position for students who appeal their results from next year onwards,” McHugh said. 

The Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are expected to strengthen the structured supports provided for appeal students who begin a higher education course shortly after the first year has begun so they are not disadvantaged. 

The HEI has also said that in 2019 no first-year Undergraduate academic classes will start earlier than the second week of September to facilitate the change in appeal dates. 

Over the next three years, the Department plans to move the examinations marking system from a paper-based to an online model.

It anticipates that this change could also improve appeal times.

Leaving Cert appeal results will be released in the week beginning 16 September 2019.

Timeline for Leaving Certificate Appeals 2019.