DARE Scheme Ireland: Eligibility, Deadlines, and the Supplementary Information Form

The DARE scheme is Ireland's reduced-points entry route to higher education for students whose disabilities have had a negative impact on their second-level education. It does not lower academic standards — it removes the barrier that the disability itself created. But the application process has three absolute deadlines, two of which require action from people other than the student, and missing any one of them means waiting another full year.

Here is what you need to know before the Leaving Certificate year starts.

Who Qualifies for DARE?

DARE is open to school leavers under the age of 23 (as of January 1 of the entry year) who have a disability and who can demonstrate that the disability had a negative impact on their second-level educational experience.

Eligible disability categories include:

• Physical disabilities and mobility impairments
• Sensory impairments — blind, vision impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing
• Significant ongoing illness
• Autism (including what was formerly called Asperger syndrome)
• Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and other specific learning difficulties
• ADHD and attention-related conditions
• Mental health conditions
• Significant speech and language difficulties

The key phrase in the eligibility criteria is "negative educational impact." It is not enough to have a diagnosis — there must be demonstrable evidence that the disability affected attendance, attainment, participation, or required accommodations during secondary school. This is what Section B of the Supplementary Information Form captures.

DARE participating colleges prioritise applicants with physical disabilities and sensory impairments when allocating reduced-points places. Other disabilities are still assessed, but these categories are given priority in competitive rounds.

DARE eligibility can be carried forward for one year. If your child defers their college place or takes a gap year, DARE status is retained as long as they reapply to the CAO by February 1 of the following year.

The Three Deadlines — All Absolute

Missing any one of these three deadlines means starting again next year. No exceptions.

February 1 — CAO Application and Disability Disclosure

Your child must apply through the CAO and tick the disability disclosure box before 5:00 PM on February 1. This is not a separate application — it is a checkbox within the standard CAO form. Students who forget to tick this box cannot add it after the deadline.

March 1 — Supplementary Information Form Section A

Section A is the Applicant Statement — your child's own written account of how their disability affected their second-level education. This is completed online through the CAO portal and must be submitted by 5:00 PM on March 1.

March 10 — SIF Sections B and C (by post to the CAO)

Sections B and C are the two that parents most often underestimate in terms of lead time.

Section B (Educational Impact Statement) is completed by the student's school — specifically the SEN coordinator or principal. It documents how the disability affected the student's educational experience at second level. Schools occasionally push back on completing this section, particularly for students with "high-functioning" or less visible disabilities. See the section below on what to do if this happens.

Section C (Evidence of Disability) is completed by the appropriate medical consultant or specialist, not by a GP in most cases. Depending on the disability, this might be a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist, or specialist physician. This section requires current, relevant clinical evidence.

Both Section B and Section C must be physically received by the CAO by 5:00 PM on March 10. The CAO requires these on paper, not by email. Factor in postal delivery time.

Planning Around Section C Lead Times

Section C is where applications most commonly run into trouble. Getting an appointment with a specialist in the Irish healthcare system — particularly through public channels — can take months. A clinical psychologist assessment for ADHD or autism, for example, may have a 3–6 month public waiting list.

This means the practical planning window for DARE documentation begins in 4th or 5th Year, not 6th Year. If your child will be applying in the Leaving Certificate year:

• Identify which specialist needs to complete Section C
• Check whether a recent (within the past 3–5 years) assessment report is already on file
• If not, or if the existing report is too old, book a private assessment in advance — private clinical psychology assessments in Ireland typically cost €600–€1,200 depending on scope
• Confirm the specialist is available to complete the SEC/CAO form before January of the LC year

If a current report exists, many specialists will complete Section C based on that report without requiring a new full assessment.

What If the School Refuses to Complete Section B?

This is one of the most common problems families face with DARE applications, particularly for students with autism, ADHD, or dyslexia who have coped well academically despite significant effort.

The school's refusal is typically framed as "we don't think the disability significantly impacted their education" — a subjective judgement that may be entirely wrong.

If you encounter this:

1. Request a written explanation of the refusal from the principal
2. Gather your own evidence: private psychological reports, documented accommodation history, internal school assessment records showing variable performance
3. Request a formal meeting with the principal and SEN coordinator, citing NCSE guidelines on inclusive education
4. Present the evidence and ask again — the March 10 deadline applies to the school too, so escalate quickly

If the school is still uncooperative and time is running short, contact AHEAD (the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) — they provide guidance to families in exactly this situation.

How DARE Places Are Allocated

DARE reserves approximately 5% of places per programme at participating colleges. If a student is eligible and their Leaving Certificate points fall within the DARE band for a particular course, they receive an offer at the reduced-points threshold rather than the standard CAO points threshold.

For example, if a course requires 390 points standard, a DARE-eligible student who achieves 380 points may receive an offer — subject to meeting the course's specific minimum requirements (certain subjects, grades, or modules that remain non-negotiable regardless of DARE status).

Not all higher education institutions participate in DARE. The scheme covers all universities, most institutes of technology, and many colleges of further education. The CAO website lists participating institutions each year.

The Fund for Students with Disabilities: Support After You Get In

DARE is an entry mechanism — it gets your child through the door at reduced points. The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) is the mechanism that funds the supports they need once inside.

The FSD is administered by colleges through their Disability Support Service (DSS). Students do not apply to the FSD directly — the college does on their behalf, based on a Needs Assessment conducted by the DSS.

Supports typically funded include:

• Assistive technology (specialist laptops, voice recognition software, screen readers)
• Note-takers and personal assistants for campus navigation
• Irish Sign Language interpreters
• One-to-one learning support and dyslexia screening
• Alternative examination arrangements — separate, low-distraction venues; extended time; scribes; word processors

Students should contact the college's DSS as soon as they receive their CAO offer — not on the day they start — to allow time for the Needs Assessment and equipment procurement before lectures begin.

PLC Courses and the ETB Route

Not every student with SEN aims for university. Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses through regional Education and Training Boards are an increasingly common pathway — they offer NFQ Level 5 and 6 qualifications, involve continuous assessment rather than high-stakes terminal exams, and have Disability and Learning Support teams embedded within the colleges.

If your child's target is a PLC rather than a CAO course, DARE does not apply — but the disability disclosure process within the ETB system is equally important. Contact the college's learning support team during the application process, not after enrolment.

The Ireland Post-School Transition Roadmap at /ie/transition/ covers the full DARE application timeline, the FSD, PLC pathway, and the employment supports available after graduation — in one place, structured around the deadlines that matter.

DARE Eligibility if Already Eligible for HEAR

Some students qualify for both DARE and HEAR (Higher Education Access Route, the income-based scheme). There is no conflict — students can apply for both simultaneously through the same CAO process. Colleges assess each separately.

The key distinction: DARE is disability-based, HEAR is income-based. A student from a low-income household who also has a disability may qualify for both, and some colleges offer additional supports to students who meet both criteria.

If you are managing this application alongside other transition planning — Disability Allowance, HSE services, Assisted Decision-Making — the Ireland Post-School Transition Roadmap brings all of it together in one resource.

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