CAO Points 2026: What Changed After Round 1

The national direction was mixed. Among 1,168 non-portfolio courses with a numeric Round 1 cut-off in both 2025 and 2026, 627 rose, 451 fell and 90 stayed level. Lower Leaving Cert grades did not translate into a blanket fall.

The useful signal is course by course

UCD Computer Science (DN201) moved from 542 to 510. UCD Actuarial & Financial Studies (DN230) moved from 613 to 602. Trinity Engineering (TR032) went the other way, from 577 to 579. One national headline cannot describe those three queues.

The biggest moves need context

Some of the largest changes happened on courses with low previous cut-offs, small intakes or changed course names. Dundalk Construction Management (DK732) rose from 120 to 300. SETU Tourism and Event Management (SE922) fell from 473 to 228. Those figures are real published cut-offs, but they are not forecasts for 2027 and they should not be read as a change in course quality.

For the full ranked tables, see the biggest rises and biggest drops. The trend comparison lets you put any five courses on the same seven-year chart.

What to do after an offer

If you received an offer you genuinely want, accepting it does not remove higher preferences from later rounds. If you missed a course, check its own Round 2 and end-of-season history rather than relying on a generic promise that points always fall. Some courses move; many do not.

Every course page now leads with the 2026 Round 1 figure and shows the change from 2025. Asterisks and portfolio markers remain attached to the value because the number without its notation can be misleading.

Sources and method

The comparison uses CAO's official 2025 workbook and official 2026 Round 1 tables. Portfolio, interview and audition scores are excluded from the national mover count because their totals are not directly comparable with Leaving Cert points alone.