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Courses you can get with 170 CAO points 2026

15 courses closed at or below 170 points in the 2026 round one offers, 2 of them honours degrees, across 10 institutions.

Read that as history rather than as a promise. A course's points are the points of the last applicant who was offered a place, so the number describes where the queue was cut in 2026 and moves every year. What makes it move.

Courses at 170 points

15 closed at or below 170 points, and 20 closed within twenty points above it. Points move by more than that from one year to the next, so the ones just short are worth putting on a list rather than writing off. Sort any column, or narrow by level, institution and how close you are.

Showing 33 of 35 courses

2 courses are hidden, the ones the CAO marks as needing a portfolio, an audition, an interview or a test. Where that assessment is scored and added to the Leaving Certificate total, the figure beside the course is not a points total and cannot be compared with the rest. .

Darker is more competitive:Under 200200 to 299300 to 399400 to 499500 to 599600 and over
Random selection
More people had these points than there were places, so the last places went to a lottery. Having the points did not guarantee an offer.
Business Studies DB571Dublin Business SchoolLevel 7146145+24
Business - Dublin BY002IBAT College DublinLevel 7145+25
Fashion Design - Dublin GC495Griffith CollegeLevel 7142142+28
Business GB001Galway Business SchoolLevel 7142+28
Interior Architecture & Design - Dublin GC490Griffith CollegeLevel 7120120+50
Film and Creative Media DB576Dublin Business SchoolLevel 7116116+54
Business in Marketing DB573Dublin Business SchoolLevel 7112112+58
Sound Engineering and Music Production DB534Dublin Business SchoolLevel 7109109+61
Sports Development and Coaching - Limerick US640Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7170on it
Business - Thurles US721Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7170on it
Computing - Letterkenny AU261Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7168168+2
Sustainable Farm Management and Agribusiness - Wexford SE509South East Technological UniversityLevel 7167+3
Engineering - Mechanical Engineering DK742Dundalk Institute of TechnologyLevel 7165165+5
Creative Design - Sligo AU821Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7172172-2
Business Studies with Beauty and Spa Management - Limerick US792Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7173-3
Creative Media DK769Dundalk Institute of TechnologyLevel 7174174-4
Business in Accounting DB572Dublin Business SchoolLevel 7178178-8
Culinary Arts - Waterford SE938South East Technological UniversityLevel 7179-9
Business - Galway AU401Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7179162-9
Computing - Sligo AU725Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7180-10
Business DS701Dorset CollegeLevel 7180-10
Culinary Arts Professional Chef Programme - Galway AU429Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7182-12
Sport and Exercise with Business DK867Dundalk Institute of TechnologyLevel 8184184-14
Early Childhood Education and Care - Castlebar AU491Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7185185-15
Culinary Arts - Athlone US630Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7186-16
Digital Marketing - Athlone US724Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7187-17
Tourism and Hospitality Operations - Letterkenny AU221Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7187187-17
Enterprise and Innovation - Limerick US723Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7188-18
Applied Social Care - Waterford - College Street SE927South East Technological UniversityLevel 7188-18
Business - Common Entry - Letterkenny AU200Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7188188-18
Business - Sligo AU800Atlantic Technological UniversityLevel 7188180-18
Business Studies with Event Management - Limerick US791Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7189-19
Civil Engineering - Limerick US760Technological University of the ShannonLevel 7190-20

Work out your own number

If you have not added up your grades yet, the points calculator does it, shows which six subjects counted, and tells you what the maths bonus is worth to you.

Figures are the 2026 round one points published by the CAO, read from its own points lists (opens in a new tab), checked 8 September 2026. Courses assessed partly on a portfolio, audition or test are left out, because their published score is on a different scale and cannot be compared with a points total.