Supplementary Admission Procedure

Supplementary Admissions Procedure for Applicants:

(i) with a Disability
(ii) socio-economically disadvantaged
(iii) mature students

As a means of widening participation in 3rd level, NUI Maynooth and other participating colleges have developed a range of initiatives including the following supplementary admission routes:

• Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) which is an admissions scheme to promote equity of access to higher education for students with disabilities.

• Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) which is an admissions scheme to promote equity of access to higher education for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds

• NUI Maynooth Mature Entry Route is an admissions scheme for students wishing to pursue a degree programme who are at least 23 years of age on January 1st of year of entry.

These schemes have been established as clear evidence shows that disability/socio economic background can have a negative impact on educational attainment at school and progression to higher education.

Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) and Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)

All applicants applying for full-time undergraduate degrees of the University must apply via the Central Applications Office (CAO) to the DARE or HEAR scheme.

The DARE scheme will operate as follows:
DARE applicants who are unable to complete the online form must submit the paper application form and supporting documentation to the CAO by the required dates.

• Applicants should apply online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application process by 1st February indicating NUI Maynooth as a college choice. Applicants must disclose a disability or specific learning difficulty on the appropriate section of the CAO application form and must indicate their wish to be considered for DARE by 1st March.
• Applicants must complete the separate online Supplementary Information Form which will ask them to provide additional information about their disability or specific learning difficulty (Sections A-C).

o Section A – applicants must complete a Personal Statement which outlines, from their perspective, the academic impact of the disability or specific learning difficulty.
o Section B – applicants must return to the CAO the 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.
o Section C – applicants must return to the CAO 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 the Evidence of Disability Form with the exception of the following;

• Applicants with specific learning difficulties (incl. Dyslexia or Dyscalculia), and applicants with Dyspraxia, who must provide a full psycho-educational assessment completed by an appropriately qualified Psychologist. You should go to accesscollege.ie for guidelines on the information required in the psycho-educational assessment.  Please note that additional verification is also required for applicants with Dyspraxia.

• Applicants who have an existing report completed by the accepted Medical Consultant/Specialist. The report must contain the same detail as the Evidence of Disability Form and must have been completed within the required timeframe.

 

Applicants must submit all of the required supporting documentation to the CAO by 1st April.

For further information on the DARE scheme see http://accesscollege.ie

The HEAR scheme will operate as follows:

• Applicants should apply online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application process by 1st February indicating NUI Maynooth as a college choice.
• Applicants must complete the separate online HEAR Application Form which will ask them to provide additional information on their family’s financial situation, employment status of parents and school(s) attended
  • Section A – Complete the online HEAR Application Form by the 1st February.
  • Section B – Applicants must return to the CAO the required supporting documentation. All documents must be appropriately verified and returned to the CAO by the 1st April. For further information on supporting documentation see http://accesscollege.ie.

Applicants must submit all of the required supporting documentation to the CAO by 1st April.

For further information on the HEAR scheme see http://accesscollege.ie

Eligibility –

Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) & Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)

Applicants are deemed eligible for consideration under the DARE & HEAR schemes if the following criteria are met:

• Student has applied through the CAO to the DARE scheme by the 1st March or the HEAR scheme by 1st February and has submitted all required supporting documentation to the CAO by 1st April.
• In the case of DARE specific disability documentation provided is deemed acceptable and there is a significant impact on educational performance due to the impact of disability/specific learning difficulty.
• In the case of HEAR appropriate supporting documentation provided is verified and applicant meets the low family income indicator plus a combination of two other indicators (minimum). For a detailed description of HEAR indicators please see http://accesscollege.ie
• Eligible applicants must satisfy (i) the DARE or HEAR criteria plus (ii) NUI Maynooth matriculation requirements & any specific course requirements.

  1. Grade C3 or higher in 2 Higher Level subjects & Grade D3 or higher in 4 Ordinary or Higher Level Subjects including English and Irish.

  2. Any specific subject requirements for the course e.g. a number of courses also require an OD3 or higher in a third language.

Please see our prospectus for course requirements http://nuim.ie/admissions.

• Applicants must have attained at least 300 points in their best six Leaving Certificate subjects.
• The maximum Leaving Certificate concession for eligible applicants is 60 points.
• Where demand for places exceeds the number of places available, places will be awarded on the basis of academic merit.
• Appropriate orientation programmes for students will be provided and will take place prior to the College’s general orientation programme. Attendance at this orientation (Launchpad) for students who are offered a place through the DARE/HEAR scheme is compulsory.

o Launchpad for the 2011/2012 academic year - Dates to be confirmed.

• In the case of DARE permission to combine the results from two sittings of the Leaving Certificate may be given in exceptional circumstances where it is viewed that students have been exceptionally disadvantaged due to disability at secondary level.
• MH103 Music, MH116 Community & Youth Work (Full Time), MH117 Community & Youth Work (Part Time) are restricted courses, and application must be made to the CAO before February 1st.
  

Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) – Quota of places available

• 4% of 1st year intake at National University of Ireland Maynooth will be available to students with disabilities (combined merit and reduced points places).

Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) - Quota of places available

• 5% of 1st year intake at National University of Ireland Maynooth will be available to students (combined merit and reduced points places).
  

NUIM Mature Entry Route

1. A mature student is a person who is at least 23 years of age on January 1st of year of entry.
2. All applicants applying for full-time undergraduate degrees of the University must apply via the Central Applications Office (CAO) at www.cao.ie before February 1st each year.
3. All mature applications must also apply to NUI Maynooth Admissions Office on a Mature Student Application Form before 1st February each year, Applications may also be made online at: http://admissions.nuim.ie/mature_students/
4. The closing date for receipt of Irish-based applications is 1st February each year. Late applications may be made up to 1st May for an additional fee, subject to restrictions.
5. Individual courses have different selection mechanisms. Please consult http://admissions.nuim.ie for further details.

See http://admissions.nuim.ie/mature_students/ for a full list of restricted entry courses

 

Contacts

Admissions Office,
NUI Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare
http://admissions.nuim.ie/
Tel: +353 1 7083822 | Fax: +353 1 7084614
E-mail: admissions@nuim.ie

Access Office,
DARE: Catherine Doherty, Disability Office,
MAP Lodge, NUIM, Maynooth, Co. Kildare,
http://access.nuim.ie/disability
Tel: +353 1 7086025 | Fax: +353 1 7083838
E-mail: dare@nuim.ie

HEAR: Martha Brandes, Access Outreach Project Officer
MAP Lodge, NUIM, Maynooth, Co. Kildare
http://access.nuim.ie/scope
Tel: +353 1 7086614 | Fax: +353 1 7083838
E-mail: hear@nuim.ie

Mature student entry: Emer Sheerin, Mature Student Officer
MAP Lodge, NUIM, Maynooth, Co. Kildare
http://access.nuim.ie/mature
Tel: +353 1 7083307 Fax: +353 1 7083838
E-mail: emer.sheerin@nuim.ie

Last edited: Wednesday, 03-Nov-2010 14:30:28 GMT

Admissions Office, NUI Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 7083822 | Fax: +353 1 7084614 | E-mail: admissions@nuim.ie