If you are under 23, and sitting the Leaving Certificate, you must apply for your choice of level 8 bachelor’s degree through the Central Applications Office (CAO). All applicants (except EU occasional and non-EU students) must apply through the Central Applications Office.
Visit the CAO website for details of CAO Round 1 points for our degrees - 2024 entry
For more about the CAO process - visit our CAO information page
The University offers places to applicants in order of merit, once they meet the minimum entry requirements (offers are made via the Central Applications Office CAO). The order of merit is calculated based on a points system, with places allocated to applicants with the required points according to their list of CAO preferences.
All Leaving Certificate subjects carry equal points with the exception of *Mathematics. Points are awarded for your six best subjects in any one year. These do not have to include subjects needed to meet minimum entry requirements. Minimum entry requirements and course requirements may be satisfied by an accumulation of subjects over more than one year. As well as achieving the required points, you must have a minimum of six subjects in your Leaving Certificate, with two Higher Level papers at grade H5 and four Ordinary or Higher Level papers at grade O6/H7.
* 25 bonus points are added to the points score for a Leaving Certificate Higher Level Mathematics grade H6 or higher. The bonus points are included in the overall points calculation only when Mathematics is one of the applicant’s best six subjects following the addition of the bonus.
| MH001 Education | 507 |
| MH002 Education (Gaeltacht) | no offers |
| MH003 Early Childhood - T&L f/t | 389 |
| MH101 Arts | 307 |
| MH103 Music | # |
| MH106 Psychology - 3 years | 532 |
| MH107 Social Science | 318 |
| MH109 Media Studies | 357 |
| MH116 Community and Youth Work (Full-Time) | # |
| MH201 Science | 350 |
| MH202 Biotechnology | 444 |
| MH203 Biological and Geographical Sciences | 410 |
| MH204 Physics with Astrophysics | 383 |
| MH206 Theoretical Physics and Mathematics | 513 |
| MH207 Data Science | 423 |
| MH208 Biological and Biomedical Sciences | 470 |
| MH209 Psychology (through Science) - 4 years | 518 |
| MH210 Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Chemistry | 451 |
| MH212 Science|Maths and Computer Science|Mathematics (with Education) | 420 |
| MH221 Sport Science and Health | 462 |
| MH222 Food Science and Human Nutrition | 441 |
| MH304 Engineering | 355 |
| MH305 Product Design | 329 |
| MH306 Robotics and Intelligent Devices | 350 |
| MH401 Finance (options) | 361 |
| MH402 Quantitative Finance | 455 |
| MH403 Accounting and Finance | 409 |
| MH404 Business (options) | 400 |
| MH407 Business and Accounting | 400 |
| MH409 Business and Languages | 400 |
| MH411 Entrepreneurship | 360 |
| MH412 Business with Sport Science | 487 |
| MH415 Economics | 423 |
| MH416 International Economics | 421 |
| MH501 LLB Law | 451 |
| MH502 Law (options) | 418 |
| MH503 Law and Languages | 430 |
| MH601 Computer Science through Arts | 380 |
| MH602 Computer Science through Science | 401 |
| MH603 Computational Thinking | 577 |
| MH803 Local Studies/Community Studies | Mature entry only |
# Restricted-application course. Early assessment procedures in lieu of points.
Round 2 Points:
MH001 496
MH003 367
MH101 307
MH109 366
MH203 433
MH208 484
MH209 497
MH305 326
| Grade | Higher | Ordinary |
| A1 | 100 | 60 |
| A2 | 90 | 50 |
| B1 | 85 | 45 |
| B2 | 80 | 40 |
| B3 | 75 | 35 |
| C1 | 70 | 30 |
| C2 | 65 | 25 |
| C3 | 60 | 20 |
| D1 | 55 | 15 |
| D2 | 50 | 10 |
| D3 | 45 | 5 |
| Pre-2017 Grade Scheme (current) | % marks | New Grade Scheme from 2017 (Higher / Ordinary) | |
| A1 | 90-100 | 90-100 | H1 / O1 |
| A2 | 85<90 | 80<90 | H2 / O2 |
| B1 | 80<85 | 80<90 | H2 / O2 |
| B2 | 75<80 | 70<80 | H3 / O3 |
| B3 | 70<75 | 70<80 | H3 / O3 |
| C1 | 65<70 | 60<70 | H4 / O4 |
| C2 | 60<65 | 60<70 | H4 / O4 |
| C3 | 55<60 | 50<60 | H5 / O5 |
| D1 | 50<55 | 50<60 | H5 / O5 |
| D2 | 45<50 | 40<50 | H6 / O6 |
| D3 | 40<45 | 40<50 | H6 / O6 |
| E | 25<40 | 30<40 | H7 / O7 |
| F | 10<25 | 0<30 | H8 / O8 |
| NG | 0<10 | 0<30 | H8 / O8 |
| Grade (%) | Points | Grade (%) | Points |
| H1 (90-100) | 100 | ||
| H2 (80<90) | 88 | ||
| H3 (70<80) | 77 | ||
| H4 (60<70) | 66 | ||
| H5 (50<60) | 56 | O1 (90-100) | 56 |
| H6 (40<50) | 46 | O2 (80<90) | 46 |
| H7 (30<40) | 37 | O3 (70<80) | 37 |
| H8 (0<30) | 0 | O4 (60<70) | 28 |
| O5 (50<60) | 20 | ||
| O6 (40<50) | 12 | ||
| O7 (30<40) | 0 | ||
| O8 (0<30) | 0 |
LCVP (Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme) Link Modules Grading until 2016
| LCVP Grade | Revised LCVP Points |
| Distinction | 66 |
| Merit | 46 |
| Pass | 28 |
Applicants can use their points allocation for the Link Modules as one of their best six subjects for the purpose of calculating points, but the Link Modules do not qualify as a subject for minimum entry requirement purposes.
CAO Points - Old v New Grade Comparisons - links to the CareersPortal website
The Minimum Entry Requirements Summary (linked below) sets out the minimum entry requirements for each of our level 8 degrees. The points required for each degree can change each year.
Applicants can combine the results of Leaving Certificate examinations obtained in different years for matriculation purposes.
However, this applies to matriculation only. It does not apply to points. Points are calculated on results from one year only. If it relates to your application - ensure you tell CAO about all your Leaving Certificate sittings when applying.
| Minimum Entry Requirements Summary 2024-2025 |
Applicants presenting pre-2017 Leaving Certificate: one grade E in a Higher Level Leaving Certificate subject will be accepted if the candidate has amongst her/his other subjects three grade C3 awards on Higher Level papers, or at least one grade B3 and one grade C3 on Higher Level papers at Leaving Certificate.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) Link Modules Points are awarded as follows:
> Distinction 66
> Merit 46
> Pass 28
Applicants can use their points allocation for the Link Modules as one of their best six subjects for the purpose of calculating points, but the Link Modules do not qualify as a subject for minimum entry requirement purposes.
| LCVP Grade | Revised LCVP Points |
| Distinction | 66 |
| Merit | 46 |
| Pass | 28 |
LCVP (Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme) Link Modules Grading until 2016
| Distinction | 70 |
| Merit | 50 |
| Pass | 30 |
In general, students must be 17 years or older by 15th January in the year after entry to the University. If you are younger, you must make a special application to the University’s President. A mature student is someone who is 23 years or older by 1st January in the year of entry to the University. For part-time degrees the mature age is 21 by the 1st January in the year of entry.
School-leaver applicants are those who are under 23 years of age and who are due to sit their Leaving Certificate in the year of entry to Maynooth University (or who wish to present their Leaving Certificate results from a previous year in order to compete for a place on one of our degrees - processed through the CAO).
Restricted-application degree courses
Two of our degrees are restricted application because they involve early assessments. Click here for more about restricted degree courses at MU.
Applicants with a disability or specific learning difficulty who require examination support for the assessments
Applicants must download and submit by March 15th the Request for Examination Supports Form. You should send in this completed form along with your supporting documentation to Bridget Gormley, Disability Office, MAP Lodge, North Campus, Maynooth University, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
The closing date for requesting examination supports is 15th March. Applications for examination supports after this date will not be considered.
Visit the Supporting Students with a Disability section of the website for further information about the supports we provide.
With effect from 20.1.2017 for entry 2017 and subsequently, a third language is not required for any of the MH400 and MH500 degrees.