Leaving Cert Results 2026: The Numbers That Matter

The headline is simple: the 2026 results moved down again. That did not make any individual course predictable, but it changed the pool of points competing for places.

65,322 candidates, fewer at the top

CAO's official points table counts 65,322 candidates. Of those, 624 scored 625 points: 1.0% of the group, down from 737 candidates and 1.2% in 2025. A total of 2,033 scored 600 or more, or 3.1%, compared with 3.9% last year.

The wider high-points group shrank too. 13,244 candidates scored at least 500, 20.3% of the total. In 2025 it was 22.5%. The midpoint sits in the 390–399 band; in 2025 it sat just over 400.

Why lower grades do not guarantee lower course points

Course points are a queue, not a grade boundary. A cut-off falls only when the last available place reaches a lower-scoring eligible applicant. Applications, capacity and random selection still decide where that happens. That is why some 2026 courses fell sharply while others rose despite the softer national results.

Read your result in the right order

First, calculate the best six correctly, including the 25-point Higher Maths bonus where it applies. Then compare that score with the actual 2026 Round 1 cut-off for each course. Finally, check the course page for random selection: an asterisk means not everyone on the stated score received an offer.

Use the points calculator, then search the official 2026 course cut-offs. The percentile page now includes the full 2026 distribution if you want to see where your score sits nationally.

Sources and method

Candidate counts come from CAO's 2026 Leaving Certificate Examination Points Statistics. Course cut-offs come from CAO's published 2026 Round 1 Level 8 and Level 7/6 tables. This site keeps the CAO notation intact and links back to the official source for decisions.