LANGUAGE EXEMPTIONS 2024-25

It is very important to check the minimum entry requirements of every CAO course your daughter is applying for. If your daughter does not meet these requirements and you believe she may be entitled to an exemption, she should apply to the relevant body (see below).

Please note: if you have been granted an exemption from completing Irish at secondary school by the Department of Education, it will still be necessary to follow the steps outlined below to obtain an exemption from Higher Education Institution (HEI) minimum entry requirements. A school exemption will not be sufficient to receive a CAO offer.

Exemption from minimum entry requirements such as Irish or a third language please take the following steps:

  1. TCD or Mary Immaculate College- you must contact the relevant Admissions Office directly.
  2. NUI Institutions include UCC, UCD, Maynooth University, University of Galway, RCSI and NCAD. NUI is only accepting online applications for exemptions. The form is accessible at https://exemptions.nui.ie/

For entry to Higher Education in 2025, applicants must apply to the NUI for an exemption. It is advisable to complete exemption applications as soon as you receive a CAO number from November 2024 onwards (up until July 2025). Applications are received all year round. However, late (August 2025) exemption applications will still be processed by NUI and the results communicated to CAO, but they will not be prioritized and there is no guarantee that those received by NUI will be processed in time by both NUI and CAO for consideration in Round One or subsequent CAO offer rounds.

Applicants should review their CAO account to ensure it accurately reflects the exemptions required.

  1. University of Limerick second language exemption:
  • If you are applying to UL but do not meet the second language requirement, you can apply for an exemption.
  • If you do not take Irish but take another language apart from English (e.g. French, German) you do not need to apply for a language exemption for UL.

Have you been granted a TCD or NUI exemption, but it is not showing on your CAO Account?
NUI: If you have been granted an exemption by NUI that does not appear on your CAO application, please contact NUI directly on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out when your exemption details will be supplied to CAO.
TCD: Please post evidence of your exemption to CAO immediately.

 


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