Application Guide
- Applications for entry to First Year
- Key CAO Dates
- Applicants with disabilities
- Higher Education Access Route
- National Framework of Qualifications
- Transfer Applicants
- International
- Garda Vetting
Applications for entry to First Year
All first year applicants must apply for entry through the CAO system. For details please see the information on CAO website.
The easiest and cheapest way to apply is by using the online application facility before 20 January in the year of application for entry.
Key CAO Dates
APPLICATION SEASON OPENS: 5 November 12:00 noon
ONLINE DISCOUNTED APPLICATION FEE (€25): 20 January at 5:15 pm
ORDINARY APPLICATION PAPER OR ONLINE (€40): 1 February at 5:15 pm
LATE ONLINE APPLICATION (€50) AND LATE PAPER APPLICATION (€80): 1 May at 5:15 pm
CHANGE OF MIND DATE (NO CHARGE): 1 July at 5:15 pm
CLEARING/AVAILABLE PLACES: Late August
Applicants with Disabilities
Apply to the Central Applications Office in the usual way at www.cao.ie. IT Sligo is part of the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE), this is a third level admissions scheme which offers places on reduced points to applicants with disabilities. Please see our Students with Disabilities’ Brochure below or www.accesscollege.ie for further information
Download Students with Disabilities Brochure
For further information contact:-
- Catherine Mc Nelis, Access Officer, IT Sligo, Telephone:- +353 (0) 71 9305381 or email mcnelis.catherine@nullnullitsligo.ie
- Learning Support Tutor, IT Sligo, Telephone:- +353 (0) 71 9305400 or email learningsupport@nullnullitsligo.ie
Higher Education Access Route
IT Sligo is part of the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR). HEAR is a college admissions scheme that offers places on reduced points and extra college support to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are resident in the Republic of Ireland. Students who secure college places through HEAR are offered a variety of academic, personal and social supports while studying at third level. Such supports include an Orientation programme (before courses start), academic guidance and assistance, a bursary when available, and advice regarding grants and scholarships. For further information please see http://accesscollege.ie/hear.
National Framework of Qualifications
The National Framework of Qualifications is standardisation of the qualifications system in Ireland. The Framework introduced a system of awards and helps to provide clarity to employers, learners and the public on the system of education and training in Ireland.
The National Framework of Qualifications is a system of 10 levels. Its transparent nature allows learners to compare and contrast qualifications, here in Ireland and Internationally. It assists employers in recognising and understanding the level and standard of qualifications.
The Institute of Technology Sligo offers courses that include each of the levels on the ladder below. The ‘ladder system’ enables students to progress from one qualification to the next level right up to PhD levels depending on academic achievements.

Direct Applications/Add-On and Transfer Applications
Transfer
The Institute’s Higher Certificate and Ordinary Degree qualifications are designed to be terminal qualifications and to prepare people for employment. However, a significant number of students use these qualifications to transfer to Ordinary Degree or Honours Degree Courses in the Institute of Technology, Sligo and other Institutes of Technology and Universities. Students should be aware that the decision to admit transfers is totally at the discretion of the receiving institution.
At IT Sligo we offer our undergraduate students a broad choice of programmes across Higher Certificate, Bachelor Degree, and Honours Bachelor Degree Levels.
If you wish, after you graduate you can also study at Master’s and Doctoral level at IT Sligo, depending on your subject area and qualifications.
How Does Progression Work?
Whatever level you enter a programme, you can choose to graduate at that level or you can progress to the next level, providing of course you get the required grades.
To illustrate what this means, if you enter at Higher Certificate Level 6 you can choose to either graduate with a Higher Certificate or, you can progress on to Level 7 and beyond. Every student in IT Sligo can progress to at least Honours degree (Level 8) and there are many opportunities to progress to PhD Level 10.
Applicants who wish to apply for entry onto one of our Add On Degree courses should apply here
Transfer Applications
Applicants who wish to apply to transfer into any of the following courses should apply directly to the Admissions office by down loading the application form attached below.
- YEAR 2 – HIGHER CERTIFICATE COURSES (LEVEL 6)
- YEAR 2 & 3 – THREE YEAR AB-INITIO DEGREE COURSES (LEVEL 7)
- YEAR 2, 3 & 4 – FOUR YEAR AB-INITIO HONS DEGREE COURSES (LEVEL 8)
Social Studies Applicants
Applicants wishing to transfer into year 2 or 3 of the BA in Applied Social Studies in Social Care must download the below transfer Application Form. This also includes a Placement Reference Form. This Reference Form must be completed by the college tutor who supervised your placement. Applications will not be considered without the Placement reference.
Download HETAC standards for Social Care students
One of the stipulations is that a total of 800 hours of appropriately supervised social care placement must be successfully passed before a student can graduate. As our students complete 400 hours in each of years 2 and 3, this means that any student who hopes to transfer into year 3 must have already completed at least 400 hours placement in a social care context or otherwise it will not be possible to achieve minimum standards for HETAC.
Transfer Application Form – Social Studies
Should you have any queries please contact Michelle Moore in the Admissions Office on 071 9137320 or email :moore.michelle@nullitsligo.ie
Postgraduate Progression
If you complete an Honours Bachelor Degree at Level 8 you can go on to study at postgraduate study. More information on our postgraduate programmes at Master’s and Doctoral level are available in our prospectus.
International (Non-EU) Citizens
International applicants (including Erasmus and Socrates should apply directly to the Institute’s International Office (not to the CAO): Ms Eileen Gillen Tel: +353 71 91 37347, Fax: +353 71 91 44500, e-mail:gillen.eileen@nullnullitsligo.ie
Original documentation with translation, where required, should be submitted to the Institute to indicate the level of achievement in academic examinations which are regarded as equivalent to Ireland’s Leaving Certificate. Oral and written proficiency in the English language is essential. Tuition Fees for International (Non-EU) Citizens are €9,000 per annum for Higher Certificate, Ordinary Degree and Honours Degree programmes. This includes the Institute’s registration/exam fee. The annual increase of these fees will be in line with the Department of Education and Science increase in tuition fees for the previous year. A quota of 5% of first year places is allocated to International (Non-EU) students.
For more information, visit our International Section
Garda Vetting
IT Sligo offers a number of programmes that require students to undertake placements with external agencies, which will bring them into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults and in which they will assume positions of public trust. To meet our obligations under National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, registration on these programmes is conditional on students successfully clearing the Student Vetting process.
Students with Criminal Convictions
A student with a criminal conviction should note that his/her conviction could affect his/her ability to secure placement on relevant courses. A student with a criminal conviction should note that his/her conviction affects his/her ability to secure placement on this course and as a result he/she is strongly advised not to apply for this course as the Institute accepts no responsibility if he/she is unable to complete his/her studies. Applicants who have a criminal conviction will be assessed in line with the IT Sligo Policy for applicants with a Criminal Conviction.