Illustration points 2026
Illustration is offered at 4 colleges in Ireland, with entry points that differ widely between them. The CAO files it under arts.
Lowest entry point
225
across the last 5 years
Highest
367
a spread of 142 points between colleges and years
Movement, 2024 to 2026
-10
getting easier to get into, the one course here that ran in both years
Some courses here are scored on a portfolio, an audition or an entrance test as well as points, and those figures can run past 625. They are left out of the three figures above, because they are not on the points scale. What that means.
Where it is offered, and what it took
Round one points for each college, year by year. A dash means the course did not run that year, or no figure was published. The last column is the change on the previous year the course ran, which for most is 2026 against 2025.
Some colleges appear twice below with the same course name. Where the level differs, one is an honours degree and the other is not, and the points differ accordingly. Where the level is the same, the college teaches on more than one campus and the CAO lists each under its own code, so the code is what tells them apart.
| College | Course | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlone Institute of Technology | Animation and Illustration (portfolio) AL861· Level 8Athlone Institute of Technology | – | – | – | – |
| Atlantic Technological University | Graphic Design and Illustration AU233· Level 7Atlantic Technological University | 225 | – | – | – |
| Atlantic Technological University | Graphic Design and Illustration AU333· Level 8Atlantic Technological University | – | 309 | 367 | +58 |
| Atlantic Technological University | Graphic Design and Illustration AU623· Level 8Atlantic Technological University | 318 | 316 | 308 | -8 |
| National College of Art and Design | Illustration (portfolio) AD217· Level 8National College of Art and Design# | 727# | 657# | 603# | – |
| Technological University of the Shannon | Animation and Illustration (portfolio) US778· Level 7Technological University of the Shannon# | 783# | 623# | 665# | – |
| Technological University of the Shannon | Animation and Illustration (portfolio) US802· Level 8Technological University of the Shannon# | 874# | 733# | 944# | – |
# beside a course, an interview, portfolio, audition or test is required. Beside a figure, that assessment is included in the number, which is why it can be above 625. * not everyone on that score was offered a place, so places were drawn at random among applicants on it.
Why some figures here are above 625
625 is the most anyone can score on Leaving Certificate points alone. The courses marked # above are assessed partly on a portfolio, an audition or an entrance test, and the published figure adds that assessment to the points. So it sits on its own scale and can run well past 625.
A figure of 900 does not mean 900 points. It means points plus a portfolio mark, and you cannot compare your own total against it. That is also why the calculator leaves these courses out when it works out what your points would have reached.
Reading this table
The spread here is 142 points, which is the most useful thing on this page. The same subject is far easier to get into at some colleges than others, so a total that misses one entry on this list can comfortably clear another.
None of these numbers is a threshold. Each is the points of the last applicant offered a place that year, so it describes where the queue was cut rather than a standard the college set. What moves them.