Guide To HEAR – My Career Verse

The basics

What exactly is HEAR?

HEAR is a third‑level admissions scheme run by a consortium of Irish higher education institutions. It offers reduced points places to school leavers from socio‑economically disadvantaged backgrounds — alongside ongoing supports once they arrive at college.

The reasoning is straightforward: long‑term financial pressure, low family income, and certain forms of disadvantage are well‑documented to impact how students perform in the Leaving Cert. HEAR levels that field a little, and connects accepted students with Access Services that stay with them throughout their degree.

HEAR is not the SUSI grant.

SUSI is a maintenance grant that helps with the cost of college once you're there. HEAR is an admissions scheme that helps with getting in. Many students apply to both — they're separate processes with separate forms.

HEAR at a glance

For school leavers under 23 on 1 January of the year of entry, resident in the Republic of Ireland

Applied for through CAO — not through individual colleges

Free to apply — no additional fee on top of the CAO charge

Combined with DARE — students can apply for both schemes if eligible

Unlocks ongoing supports — orientation programmes, mentoring, financial assistance and Access Service support throughout the degree

Eligibility

The 6 HEAR indicators

HEAR uses six financial, social and cultural indicators to decide eligibility. Indicator 1 (income) is mandatory for everyone. After that, your child needs a combination of other indicators — and a minimum score of 2.5 to be considered eligible.

Mandatory 1

Family Income

Your total family income for the previous full tax year must be at or below the HEAR income limit. The limit increases with the number of dependent children.

2

Medical / GP Visit Card

You, your child, or your child's guardian holds a Medical Card or GP Visit Card valid on 31 December of the year before entry.

3

Means‑tested Social Welfare

Your family received a means‑tested payment from the Department of Social Protection for at least 26 weeks in the relevant tax year.

4

Socio‑economic Group

Your parent or guardian belongs to a group under‑represented in higher education, based on their occupation and employment status.

5

DEIS School Attendance

Your child completed five years in a second‑level school participating in the DEIS scheme run by the Department of Education and Youth.

6

Area Profile

Your home address falls in an area classified as disadvantaged or worse on the national deprivation index. Students who experienced homelessness during post‑primary education also qualify here.

How eligibility is calculated

Indicator 1 + a qualifying combination = eligibility

1 — Income + 2 or 3 + 4, 5, or 6

A minimum score of 2.5 is required for standard eligibility. A score of 5.5 or higher places the application in the priority group.

New for 2026 entry

HEAR Priority Groups

Recent changes to HEAR introduce priority groups — categories of students whose eligibility is escalated within the scheme. If your child belongs to one of these groups and meets the mandatory income criterion, the application is treated as a priority case.

Care‑Experienced

Students who have been in the care of the State

Traveller Community

Members of the Irish Traveller community

Roma Community

Members of the Roma community

Young Parent

Applicants who are parents themselves

HEAR + DARE Eligible

Eligible for both schemes simultaneously

Each group has its own form

Speak to your guidance counsellor about which applies

The paperwork

What you'll need to gather

HEAR is the most paperwork‑heavy CAO scheme — and unlike most modern systems, original documents must be sent by post, not email. Start gathering early.

Income evidence

Statement of Liability

From Revenue (myAccount) — replaces the old P21. Required for the relevant tax year.

Welfare statement (if applicable)

From the Department of Social Protection, listing all payments received in the relevant year.

Self‑employed accounts (if applicable)

Notice of Assessment from Revenue covering the relevant year.

Indicator evidence

Medical / GP Visit Card confirmation

Stamped form from your Local Health Office confirming the card was valid on 31 December.

DSP welfare verification form

Signed and stamped by a Department of Social Protection official. Unsigned forms are invalid.

DEIS school confirmation

Letter from your child's second‑level school confirming five years of DEIS attendance.

Priority group documentation

Specific verification forms apply for Care‑Experienced, Traveller, Roma, and Young Parent applicants.

Documents must be posted to CAO — not emailed.

Keep originals where possible, send certified copies, and always get proof of postage. Write your child's full name and CAO number on every single page.

Key dates

The HEAR application timeline

Most missed HEAR applications fail because of late paperwork — either to CAO or from a third party like Revenue or the DSP. Build in a fortnight of buffer for every government office in this list.

Step 1 5th Year – TY

Start gathering paperwork

Set up Revenue myAccount access. Locate medical cards. Note which school years were spent at a DEIS school. The earlier this is sorted, the easier the spring will be.

November CAO opens

CAO application opens

Your child registers on cao.ie and indicates intention to apply for HEAR on the application form.

20 January CAO close

Standard CAO closing date

Most applicants complete and pay for their CAO application by this date.

1 February Indicate HEAR

Tick the HEAR box on CAO

By 17:00 on this date, your child must have indicated they wish to apply for HEAR within their CAO online account.

1 March Online form

Complete the HEAR online form

By 17:00, every section of the online HEAR application form must be answered. Once complete, a checklist appears showing which documents are needed.

10 March Final deadline

All documents must arrive at CAO

The biggest deadline of the year. All supporting documents must physically arrive at the CAO office by 17:00. Post early. Get proof of postage. No extensions, no exceptions.

Late June Outcome

HEAR eligibility decision

Your child receives the eligibility outcome via CAO email or online portal. Reviews can be requested if eligibility is declined.

July–Aug CAO offers

Round One offers issued

Eligible HEAR candidates are considered for reduced points places within the HEAR quota for each course.

September Orientation

HEAR Orientation Programme

Once accepted, your child must attend their college's HEAR Orientation. This isn't optional — it's a condition of accepting a HEAR place.

Your role

Parent action plan: 7 steps

HEAR is unusual within the CAO system: most of the evidence comes from your records, not your child's. Parents and guardians are the primary owners of HEAR paperwork — here's how to manage it without dropping a deadline.

1

Sort Revenue myAccount access early

A Statement of Liability is the cornerstone of every HEAR application. It can take days to register for myAccount and longer to receive a Statement — do this in autumn, not March.

2

Audit your Indicator evidence

Walk through the six indicators and tick which apply: medical card, social welfare history, occupation type, DEIS attendance, area profile. Note which evidence you already have and which needs requesting.

3

Request DSP and HSE forms in February

The Department of Social Protection and Local Health Office forms must be signed and stamped by an official. Lead times can be slow — get into the queue in early February, not late.

4

Help your child complete the online form

Sit down together. The form asks detailed questions about household income, family structure, and employment that your child won't know without you. Allow at least one full evening.

5

Post documents by registered mail

Aim to post by the first week of March, not the deadline week. Use registered or tracked post. Keep the receipt. Photograph every document you send. Write your child's name and CAO number on every page.

6

Check the CAO account weekly

CAO communicates almost entirely through the online account. They may request clarifications or additional evidence between March and June — missed messages mean lost eligibility.

7

Apply to SUSI separately

HEAR helps your child get in at reduced points. SUSI helps with the cost of being there. They're different applications with different forms — your child needs both, and the SUSI window opens in spring.

Avoid these

The 6 most common HEAR mistakes

Missing the 10 March postal deadline

By far the most common reason applications fail. Post must arrive at CAO by 17:00 — not be sent on the day. Build in a week of buffer.

Trying to email documents

CAO does not accept emailed HEAR documents. Original signed and stamped forms must be physically posted, no exceptions.

Unsigned or unstamped forms

DSP and Local Health Office forms must carry an official signature and stamp. Either missing element invalidates the form — check before posting.

No name or CAO number on pages

Documents arrive at CAO in their thousands. Pages without your child's name and CAO number on them risk being misfiled and lost.

Confusing HEAR with SUSI

They're different schemes with different applications. Many families assume HEAR eligibility means a SUSI grant is automatic — it doesn't. Apply for both separately.

Choosing only stretch courses

HEAR reduces points but doesn't guarantee a place. A balanced CAO list of reach, match and safety courses still applies — HEAR is a quota system.

Boundaries

How to support without overwhelming

HEAR can feel intrusive. The forms ask about household finances, social welfare history, and employment in a way most teenagers haven't had to think about before.

Your job is to remove the friction — sort the paperwork side, while letting your child stay in the driver's seat for their own application and CAO course choices.

Do

Set up a single folder for all HEAR documents and a wall calendar with the three deadlines highlighted.

Do

Be the one liaising with Revenue, the DSP, and the Local Health Office — that's adult work.

Do

Photocopy every document twice and keep one set safe at home.

Do

Talk openly about why HEAR exists — it's not charity, it's recognition that the playing field is uneven.

Don't

Leave Revenue and DSP requests until February — queues will not save you.

Don't

Treat HEAR as a fallback. Course choice strategy still matters.

FAQ

Parent questions, answered

No. HEAR creates the possibility of an offer at reduced points, but each course has a limited HEAR quota. High‑demand courses still need strong points and well‑considered CAO choices.

HEAR is an admissions scheme — it can lower the CAO points needed for a college place. SUSI is a maintenance grant — it helps cover the cost of college fees and living once your child is in. Both have separate applications and different rules. Most HEAR‑eligible students should also apply for SUSI.

HEAR applies to participating higher education institutions — the list covers most universities and many technological universities, but it's worth checking the current participating list on the CAO website before finalising course choices.

Yes — and there's a real benefit if both apply. HEAR (socio‑economic) and DARE (disability) are separate schemes with separate eligibility, and students who qualify for both are now treated as a HEAR priority group. Each has its own paperwork — budget time accordingly.

Indicator 1 — the income limit — is mandatory and there's no flexibility on it within HEAR. However, the limit is adjusted upward for families with multiple dependent children and dependants in full‑time education, so check the current handbook carefully before assuming you don't qualify. If you genuinely sit just over the line, individual colleges sometimes run their own access routes (such as DCU's ADER) with similar criteria.

The application will not be considered for HEAR in the current year. CAO does not grant extensions for late HEAR documentation. Your child can still pursue their CAO application normally and contact the college's Access Service directly — many colleges run their own institution‑level supports.

If your child applied to CAO in the previous year and was deemed HEAR‑eligible — for example, students repeating the Leaving Cert — eligibility can usually carry forward for one year. They still need to indicate HEAR on their new CAO application and reference their previous CAO application number, but won't need to resubmit supporting documents.

Yes. Once admitted via HEAR, your child will be linked with the college's Access Service. Ongoing supports — orientation programmes, academic mentoring, financial assistance funds, and pastoral support — are arranged through that service for the full duration of their course.

Need a hand walking through it?

A 1‑to‑1 HEAR prep session with a qualified guidance counsellor can take the guesswork out of paperwork, indicator combinations, and timeline planning — for both you and your child.

Book a HEAR prep session Download the parent checklist

The HEAR Application: A Step‑by‑Step Guide for Parents