How do I apply to DARE?
School leavers who wish to be considered for DARE must:
- Apply online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application process by 1 February 2010.
- Disclose a disability or specific learning difficulty on the appropriate section of the application form. Applicants will then be directed to the separate online Supplementary Information Form which will ask them to provide additional information about their disability or specific learning difficulty (Sections A-C).
- Applicants must indicate their wish to be considered for DARE (final Section on Supplementary Admissions Routes).
- Applicants must submit supporting documentation by 1st April 2010.
Supplementary Information Form
There are four separate sections to the Supplementary Information Form which must be completed by the applicant, the applicant’s school and the Medical Consultant/Specialist verifying the disability.
- Section A – applicants must complete a Personal Statement which outlines, from their perspective, the academic impact of the disability or specific learning difficulty.
- Section B – applicants must return a Second Level Academic Reference completed by their school. This form provides background information on the applicant’s educational experience and helps to determine appropriate supports at third level.
- Section C – applicants must return the Evidence of Disability Form completed by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist. This form provides verification of the applicant’s disability and helps to determine appropriate supports at third level. All applicants must complete this form with the exception of the following:
- Applicants who have an existing report completed within the appropriate timeframe by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist. The report must contain the same detail as the Evidence of Disability Form.
- Applicants with specific learning difficulties who must provide a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualified psychologist. The report must be less than 3 years old i.e. must be dated after 1st February 2007.
- Supplementary Admissions Routes – applicants must indicate their wish to be considered for DARE.
Closing Dates for DARE
DARE is a supplementary admissions route that requires a significant degree of processing on the part of the CAO and the participating higher education institutions. In order to allow adequate time for the completion of this work the following closing dates apply:
By 1 February 2010:
Complete all elements of the online DARE application (Section A and the final Section on Supplementary Admissions Routes) as part of CAO application process. Applicants who are unable to complete the online form must submit the paper application form by the same date.
By 1 April 2010:
Submit both Second Level Academic Reference (Section B) and Evidence of a Disability (Section C) to the CAO.
Next Steps in the Application Process
Once all applications have been processed for DARE eligibility, applicants will be informed in writing of their DARE status.
Applicants who are not eligible for DARE will be informed of the reasons for their ineligibility. An applicant can request that his/her application be reviewed should he/she have reason to believe that an error occurred during the screening process.
