The DARE Application: A Step‑by‑Step Guide for Parents
DARE — the Disability Access Route to Education — opens college doors for students whose disability or significant ongoing illness has impacted their second‑level education. Here's exactly what you need to know, when to act, and how to support your child without taking over the wheel.
What exactly is DARE?
DARE is a third‑level admissions scheme run by a consortium of Irish higher education institutions. It offers reduced points places to school leavers whose disability has had a significant negative impact on their second‑level education.
The scheme exists because Leaving Cert points alone don't always reflect a student's true ability when their schooling has been disrupted by a disability or ongoing illness. DARE gives those students a fairer route in.
Eligible students are considered for places at reduced points within a quota. Strong CAO applications matter, course choices matter, and meeting documentation deadlines matters most of all.
DARE at a glance
Is your child eligible for DARE?
Two things must be true: your child must have a recognised disability or significant ongoing illness, and there must be evidence that it has impacted their schooling.
A recognised condition
Your child must have a verified disability or significant ongoing illness that falls within one of the 11 categories recognised by the DARE scheme. Diagnosis must be supported by evidence from a qualified, relevant professional.
Educational impact
The condition must have had a significant negative impact on second‑level education. The school confirms this through the Educational Impact Statement — without it, the application cannot succeed.
Recognised disability categories
ADD / ADHD
Autism Spectrum
Blind / Vision Impaired
Deaf / Hard of Hearing
DCD / Dyspraxia
Mental Health Condition
Neurological Condition
Significant Ongoing Illness
Specific Learning Difficulty
Speech & Language Disorder
Physical Disability
Multiple conditions also catered for
The 3 parts of the Supplementary Information Form
The DARE application is built around three sections — one written by the student, one by the school, and one by a relevant medical or specialist professional. All three must be in place before 1 March.
Personal Statement
The student's own account of how their disability has impacted their education — in their own words. Completed inside the CAO online application.
Educational Impact Statement
Completed by the school — usually the guidance counsellor or Principal. Confirms how the disability has affected your child's education and what supports were in place.
Evidence of Disability
Verification from a qualified professional — for example a consultant, psychologist, GP, or audiologist depending on the disability category. Specific report formats are required.
The DARE application timeline
Most missed DARE applications fail not because of weak evidence — but because of a missed deadline. Here's the year at a glance.
Start gathering evidence
Begin conversations with school and medical professionals. Some assessments take months to schedule — don't leave it until 6th year.
CAO application opens
Your child registers on cao.ie and indicates intention to apply for DARE on the application form.
Standard CAO closing date
Most applicants complete and pay for their CAO application by this date.
Tick the DARE box & complete Section A
Your child must indicate they wish to apply for DARE and complete the personal statement in their CAO online account.
Upload Section B & Section C
The biggest deadline of the year. Educational Impact Statement and Evidence of Disability must be uploaded by this date. No extensions, no exceptions.
Round One offers issued
Eligible DARE candidates are considered for reduced points places within the DARE quota for each course.
Connect with Disability Support Services
Once your child accepts a place, the college's Disability Support Service (DSS) will be in touch to set up ongoing supports.
Parent action plan: 7 steps
DARE belongs to your child — but parents play a quietly crucial role in the background. Here's how to help without taking over.
Have an early, honest conversation
Ideally in TY or 5th year. Talk openly about whether DARE is something your child wants to apply for — not all eligible students do, and that's okay too. The application is theirs to own.
Get the evidence in order
Check whether existing reports are recent enough and meet DARE's specific requirements. If a new assessment is needed, book it now — private waiting lists can stretch for months.
Liaise with the school early
Contact the guidance counsellor or SEN coordinator before Christmas. They need time to compile Section B accurately, and they're managing many applicants at once.
Help your child write Section A — without writing it for them
It must be in their voice. Your job is to prompt with questions: “Do you remember the year you missed weeks of school? How did that feel coming back?” The honesty in their answer is what carries weight.
Track every deadline twice
Put 1 February and 1 March in your calendar with two‑week reminders. Confirm with the school in February that Section B is ready. Confirm Section C is uploaded and showing as “received” on CAO.
Check the CAO account regularly
CAO communicates almost entirely through the online account and the email registered there. Check it weekly — especially March to May, when DARE may request clarifications.
Don't treat DARE as a Plan B
Your child should still aim for their honest best in the Leaving Cert and choose CAO courses they genuinely want. DARE is a quota system — courses with high demand fill quickly even at reduced points, so course choice strategy still matters enormously.
The 6 most common DARE mistakes
Missing the 1 March deadline
By far the most common reason applications fail. CAO does not grant extensions, regardless of the reason.
Ticking the box but not completing Section A
Indicating DARE on CAO is only the start. The personal statement must also be completed inside the application.
Outdated medical evidence
Each disability category has specific recency rules. A report that's a few years too old can render a strong application ineligible.
Parents writing Section A
Reviewers can spot adult voice immediately. The student's own honest words are worth far more than a polished parent draft.
Ignoring CAO emails
DARE may ask for clarifications via the CAO inbox. Missed messages mean missed eligibility.
Choosing only stretch courses
DARE reduces points but doesn't guarantee a place. A balanced CAO list of reach, match and safety courses still applies.
How to support without overstepping
DARE is your child's first encounter with the kind of self‑advocacy they'll need throughout college and beyond. Your support matters most when it's in the background — chasing paperwork, tracking deadlines, listening when it gets hard.
Sit beside them, not in front of them.
Help them set up a folder for evidence, log of medical letters, and timeline of dates.
Offer to read Section A and ask gentle, open questions about it.
Be the one chasing the GP receptionist or the school admin office.
Celebrate the courage it takes to write honestly about a disability.
Write Section A for them — or rewrite it heavily.
Treat DARE as a fallback. Course choice strategy still matters.
Parent questions, answered
Need a hand walking through it?
A 1‑to‑1 DARE prep session with a qualified guidance counsellor can take the guesswork out of evidence requirements, Section A coaching, and timeline planning — for both you and your child.