As the normal closing date for CAO is fast approaching on February 1 2021, students who wish to be considered for HEAR or DARE must remember to have indicated this by ticking the boxes accordingly on their CAO form before this deadline. If a student does not meet this deadline his/her HEAR/DARE application will not be considered further. It is also very important to start gathering any supporting documentation that may be needed to complete the application now if you have not already started this process.
Once students have indicated on their CAO application by February 1 of their intent to be considered as a HEAR or DARE (or both ), applicant(s ) then have until March 1 to complete the next part of the application process. Any supporting documentation required by HEAR/DARE needs to reach the CAO offices in Galway before March 15. Students need to be mindful that March 15 falls on a Monday this year, so realistically all this documentation should be in the post to ensure arrival by the very latest Friday, March 12, to avoid any unnecessary stress. Each year over 17 per cent of all offers made through CAO are to DARE or HEAR students.
What is HEAR?
Higher Education Access Route (HEAR ) is an admissions route for school leavers who for social, financial, or cultural reasons are under-represented at third level education.
It was established by 16 colleges and universities to ensure that all Leaving Certificate students have a fair and equal opportunity to progress to third level education. However the number of colleges and universities taking part in these access programmes is increasing every year, and this year there are more than 25 third level institutes offering college places to students through HEAR and DARE admission routes.
In order to apply for HEAR you must meet the HEAR income limit plus the right combination of two other indicators to be eligible. All this information can be found on www.accesscollege.ie As previously stated, once students have filled out their online application they must submit any supporting documentation to the CAO in Galway by March 15, 2021. These deadlines are extremely strict and any late applicants will not be allowed proceed to the next stage of the application process to ensure fairness.
The supporting documentation requested will vary from applicant to applicant as it depends on the information submitted on the application form. However, it is usually a statement of liability (this is the new name for Revenue Statement previously called P21 ), Self Assessment Chapter 4 if parents/guardians are self employed, and social welfare statements, etc. The documents the CAO looks for relate to the last financial year – January to December 2019.
Do not send original documents to the CAO, good quality copies will suffice, and it is also good practice to ensure you always get a certificate of postage for anything you send and keep this safe as proof of postage in case you need it at a later stage.
Please be aware that HEAR is not the SUSI grant, and students must apply separately if they wish to be considered for SUSI. Students are perfectly entitled to apply for both SUSI and HEAR and accept both should they qualify for both.
Why apply to HEAR?
The benefits for students who are eligible for HEAR can be significant:
For example, reduced points CAO offers in the participating colleges and universities provided you meet the minimum entry requirements. This can often be the difference between a student securing a place on his/her first preference course on the CAO application form. Once in college, the applicant can also benefit from additional supports such as financial, academic, social, and personal.
What is DARE?
The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE ) is a supplementary admissions scheme which offers college places on reduced points to school leavers with disability, illness, or any learning difficulty which had a significant impact on their ability to reach their full potential at school. There is a very broad range of conditions which are considered under the DARE scheme including dyslexia, ADHD, physical disability, and ongoing illness. Again, students can obtain all this information on the website www.accesscollege.ie This offers students the opportunity to secure a place in college that they may not have achieved enough points for without the DARE access route.
How do I apply to DARE?
Once you have indicated on your CAO application form by February 1 that you wish to be considered for DARE, the next step is to indicate that you have a disability/specific learning difficulty and complete section A of the supplementary information form. This must be completed on line through your CAO application by March 1. The final step of the application process is to download the Educational Impact Statement (EIS ) [Section B] and have your school complete this section. Download section C, the Evidence of Disability Form, and have it filled by the relevant medical professional, and return both to CAO before March 15. All this can take time as each year more and more students in schools are making applications through the HEAR and DARE access routes, so it is a good idea to address this paperwork as soon as possible to get the ball rolling and avoid any unnecessary stress over deadlines looming. In 2019 the CAO received 5,246 DARE applications; this was an increase of more than eight per cent on the previous year.
Carmel Shannon Career Consultant, www.careerguidancemayo.ie, email: [email protected].
