IB & Universities
The IB Diploma Programme is viewed as one of the premier educational programmes for university entry globally.
Every country has its own rules for university entry. The majority of students studying the IB in St. Andrew's College will enter Irish Universities through the Central Applications Office (CAO). Non-EU students who have been in Ireland for less than three years must enter as non-EU international students. Please see the individual university sites regarding this.
In 2019 Irish Universities published a document detailing their conversation factors to CAO points for all non-Irish secondary school programmes available in EU countries. The IB to CAO points conversation is on pages 92 and 93 of this document.
The CAO awards 25 bonus points to students who score a grade 4 or higher in IB higher level mathematics. IB students can also attain these 25 bonus points by scoring a H6 or higher in the Leaving Certificate Higher Level paper which is held in early June.
The IB continues to work with all national educational boards and individual universities. It is globally accepted but students should check the individual requirements for each country/university on their websites.
IB students in St. Andrew's College will each be assigned a guidance counsellor who will work with them to plot out possible pathways to university and to advise them of their options. Students should regularly check the guidance blog and keep the regular appointments with their guidance counsellors.
Link to the Qualifax course finder (information on all Irish university courses)