HEAR (Higher Education Access Route)
A college place at reduced points, plus extra academic and financial supports once you are there.
Last checked September 2026
What it is
Reduced points entry to college, plus extra supports once you are there, for a student from a disadvantaged background. If you are eligible you can be offered a third level place below the published points for that course, at a university or any other CAO course. It is for applicants under 23 whose household income is under the limit, and it also counts things like a medical card in the family, a social welfare payment, a DEIS school, being a Traveller or Roma, having been in care, being a young parent or being homeless. You apply through the CAO and you can apply to HEAR and DARE together.
Who can get it
- Under 23 on 1 January 2027, and living in the Republic of Ireland
- Household income for 2025 under €58,470 where there are one to three dependent children, €64,080 for four to seven, or €69,465 for eight or more
- The income limit applies no matter how many of the other circumstances fit you
- Your circumstances are then scored, and the more of them that apply the stronger the application
- The income limit can rise by €4,785 for each relevant person in the household. If you are over the limit, check that definition in the HEAR handbook before you give up, because it may put you back under
- Which income band applies turns on how many dependent children are in the household, and the handbook sets out who counts. If you are near a boundary, check it before you rule yourself out
- Applications are scored out of 7. A score of 5.5 or more is HEAR Priority, 2.5 up to 5 is HEAR Eligible, and 2 or below does not qualify
- The circumstances are not worth one point each, so you cannot work your own score out by counting them
- Being homeless or in emergency accommodation scores 2.5 on its own. You show it through PASS, the system homeless services use to record who is in emergency accommodation
- These income figures are limits you have to be under. They are not amounts you receive
How to apply, and the three dates
Through the CAO, and there are three separate deadlines rather than one. Your CAO application closes at 5pm on 1 February 2027. The HEAR section of the form closes at 5pm on 1 March. Your supporting documents are due by 5pm on 10 March, which is the one people miss. You are told the outcome in late June. If you have already missed a deadline, ask the CAO whether its appeals route can help, because it is the same office that handles this for DARE.
Go to the official page →Checked against the official source on 20 September 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.
Related guides
- Bursary for Young People with Care Experience
- SUSI Student Grant
- DARE (Disability Access Route to Education)
- Part-Time Fee Scheme (SUSI, part-time undergraduate courses)
- VTOS (Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme)
Not sure if this one is you?
Describe your situation in your own words and the assistant shows every support you might qualify for, this one included. Free, no sign up, anonymous.
Check what you might qualify for →Grants change all the time.
Leave your email and I will tell you if the HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) changes, or a new support opens that fits you. It is free and there is no spam.