Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs) and the CAO system

Further Education institutes through the city and county of Dublin provide post Leaving Certificate courses. These courses prepare candidates for employment or entry to Higher Education. There is a large range of courses offered by about 30 colleges throughout Dublin.

These courses do not operate a points system and most courses require passes in five Leaving Certificate subjects. In addition, an interview may also take place along with a portfolio submission in the case of some Art & Design courses. The official closing date is normally late February or March, however, some courses will accept applications in September after the Leaving Certificate results are published. There are however, some very popular courses that fill all their places in February/March, for example, art, media, and music courses in Ballyfermot College of Further Education. 
Students undertake these courses

1. For their educational value,
2. To enhance employment opportunities,
3. Gain entry to their original first choice in college for which they did not obtain the necessary points (back door entry)
4. To gain entry to colleges in the U.K. which will accept the P.L.C. course in addition to, or instead of, their Leaving Certificate results.

When searching for a suitable course, it might be useful to work backwards, i.e. check if the degree course you really want accepts applications from P.L.C. courses. Then check what P.L.C. courses they will accept, and then find where that P.L.C. course is run.

For example, D.I.T. hold 3 places on their Forensics & Environmental Science course for those who have completed an Applied Science/Lab Technicians P.L.C. course. They also hold 7 places on their Business & Marketing course for candidates who have complete one of four different types of P.L.C. courses. There are too many examples to list here. U.C.D. hold 20 places on their General Science degree, 25 on their Arts degree, 7 on their Nursing degrees, and 3 on their Commerce degree for those candidates who have completed and reached a certain standard in certain P.L.C. course. The I.T. in Tallaght hold 10% of places on most of their courses for P.L.C. graduates.

Below, is a method of searching for the most appropriate P.L.C. course that can lead into that degree you want. Be careful, while some P.L.C. courses may have the correct code, 3rd level colleges insist that the P.L.C. course must have certain module/s within it. Check that the P.L.C. course has the necessary module/s with the college that offers the P.L.C. course.

Below, is an example of how to search for the correct P.L.C. course. This example shows how to search for the correct P.L.C. that can gain you entry into Media Studies in N.I.U.M. (MH109).  (Click on thumbnails to open an enlarged version of image.)  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is now necessary to find which P.L.C. colleges offer these courses. The example below searches for EMPXX. The same search can be carried out for the other codes/courses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caution

• The type of courses that have the EMPXX code can vary in what subject material they cover. For example, EMPXX can range from ‘Photography’ to ‘Print Journalism & Radio’.
• Be sure to pick the subject material you find the most interesting. Also, there may be other interesting courses found in the other codes, ERPXX, ETFPX, or EPJXX.
• Check that the P.L.C. course has the necessary module/s using the web site of the particular P.L.C. college.

Check List

• Find the C.A.O. code for the 3rd level college course you wish to enter.
• Search cao.ie to find the necessary P.L.C. code/s and any necessary modules.
• Search qualifax.ie using the P.L.C. code/s.
• Find what P.L.C. colleges offer the necessary P.L.C. course/code.
• Don’t just pick a P.L.C. course because it has the correct code, select a course with the correct code that also covers the subject material you find most interesting. Note also, some P.L.C. colleges offer course that allow entry into 2nd year of a third level degree course.
• Check the web site of the particular P.L.C. college to ensure  the course also has the necessary module/s.
• Apply in February using the P.L.C. college web site.
• Check the P.L.C. college web site for any additional entry requirements, e.g. portfolio.
• It might be necessary to apply for more than one P.L.C. course.
• Note: Completing a P.LC. course does not guarantee entry into your desired 3rd level college course. You will need to obtain a certain standard in your assessments and exams.