QQI-FET Students

Applicants from QQI-FET Awards

Carlow College, St. Patrick’s has a long standing tradition of serving QQI-FET (formerly known as FETAC) students. Students with the relevant and appropriate QQI-FET Level 5/6 awards, may be admitted on a competitive basis to a Carlow College, St. Patrick’s degree programme. Students are offered the quota of places reserved for QQI-FET applicants. Places are limited and will be allocated based on the applicant’s score only. Please click here to visit the CAO website for details of the scoring scheme. The best 8 Modules is a single award will be used for the calculation of points. Where more than one applicant has the same score, applicants will be ranked by the CAO on a random basis. For all courses, the required modules can be completed over multiple sittings leading to an appropriate award. QQI-FET applicants may apply for entry onto year two of any of our undergraduate degree programmes. This applies where an applicant has gained a full Level 6 award (120 credits) in a programme directly relevant to the Carlow College programme they wish to apply for. Find out more here.  
  1. Applications are made to the CAO by visiting www.cao.ie and clicking ‘Apply’. Applicants can also request a paper application by contacting the CAO directly.
  2. It is extremely important that all QQI-FET Applicants have registered with CAO before 1st February at 17:15.
  3. After the 1st February deadline, the Late Applications facility opens on 5th March. Applicants can make a late application, for a higher fee, until 1st May at 17:15
  4. Applicants will be asked to tick the ‘Qualifications and Assessments’ section that is relevant to them. QQI-FET Applicants must tick the QQI-FET Applicants box.
  5. After completing the online CAO application, including sections 1 – 11 of the QQI-FET Applicant Section, Applicants must post any supporting documentation, within seven days to: CAO, Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway.
  6. Applicants who obtain the required points for entry onto the programme and hold a full QQI-FET Award, may receive an offer in early August (Round 1).
  • All applicants for a Level 7 Degree Programme will be required to have achieved a minimum FE grade equivalent of 178 CAO points.
  • All applicants for a Level 8 Degree will be required to have achieved a minimum FE grade equivalent of 243 CAO points.
  • All FE applicants will be required to have a full level 5 award in a programme ‘linked’ to the Carlow College degree to which they are seeking entry.


For a full list of our Linked Programmes click here.

QQI-FE Quota for Undergraduate Degrees 2021

  • PC402: 5
  • PC404: 30
  • PC405: 10
  • PC410: 10
  • PC411 :5


Total places: 60

Applicants who hold a level 6 QQI-FET Award may be eligible for Advanced Entry, find out more here.

To find out more information regarding our Advanced Entry, please contact: Karen Delenay at:

E: admissionscc@carlowcollege.ie T: +353 59 9153243