What are CAO points?
CAO points are numerical scores assigned to each Leaving Certificate grade. They are used by the Central Applications Office (CAO) — the body that manages applications to Irish universities, institutes of technology, and other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) — to rank applicants and allocate places on college courses.
Every Irish student who applies for a college place through the CAO is ranked by their points score. The student with the highest points gets first choice of places on any given course. When a course fills up, the minimum points required that year becomes the cut-off points — the lowest score that received an offer.
The 4-step CAO points calculation
The CAO uses a standardised 4-step process to calculate every student’s points score. Here is exactly how it works:
Convert each grade to points
Every Leaving Cert grade (H1–H8 for Higher Level, O1–O8 for Ordinary Level) maps to a fixed points value using the official CAO scale. For example, H1 = 100 points, H2 = 88 points, O1 = 56 points. See the full table below.
Add the Higher Level Maths bonus (if eligible)
If you scored H6 or above (40% or more) in Higher Level Mathematics, add 25 bonus points directly to your Maths score before you rank your subjects. This bonus is applied before selecting your best 6.
Select your best 6 subjects
You may sit up to 8 Leaving Cert subjects. Only the 6 highest-scoring results count towards your CAO points. The CAO (and our calculator) automatically picks the best 6 — you do not choose yourself.
Add up the 6 scores
Sum the points from your 6 best subjects. That total is your official CAO points score, used for all college course applications that year.
CAO points scale 2026 — all grades
This is the complete official points scale for the 2026 Leaving Certificate. The same scale has been in place since 2017 and applies to all Irish HEIs.
| Grade | Percentage band | Higher Level | Ordinary Level | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 O1 | 90–100% | 100 | 56 | +44 for HL |
| H2 O2 | 80–89% | 88 | 46 | +42 for HL |
| H3 O3 | 70–79% | 77 | 37 | +40 for HL |
| H4 O4 | 60–69% | 66 | 28 | +38 for HL |
| H5 O5 | 50–59% | 56 | 20 | +36 for HL |
| H6 O6 | 40–49% | 46 | 12 | +34 for HL |
| H7 O7 | 30–39% | 37 | 0 | +37 for HL |
| H8 O8 | 0–29% | 0 | 0 | No difference |
The Higher Level Maths bonus — 25 extra points
Students who take Higher Level Mathematics and score H6 or above (40% or more) receive an automatic bonus of 25 extra points added to their Maths score.
How the HL Maths bonus works in practice
The bonus is added to the Maths subject score before the best-6 selection happens. This is important — if Maths with the bonus is still not one of your top 6, it still won’t count. But for most students taking Higher Level Maths, it will rank highly.
| HL Maths grade | Base points | Bonus | Total Maths points |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | 100 | +25 | 125 |
| H2 | 88 | +25 | 113 |
| H3 | 77 | +25 | 102 |
| H4 | 66 | +25 | 91 |
| H5 | 56 | +25 | 81 |
| H6 | 46 | +25 | 71 |
| H7 or below | 37 or 0 | No bonus | 37 or 0 |
Does Ordinary Level Maths get a bonus?
No. The 25-point bonus applies exclusively to Higher Level Mathematics. Ordinary Level Maths, regardless of your grade, receives no bonus points. No other subject receives a bonus either.
The best 6 subjects rule — explained
You can sit up to 8 Leaving Cert subjects, but only your 6 highest-scoring results count towards your CAO points. The CAO automatically selects the best 6 — you have no say in which subjects are included.
Does Irish always count?
Irish counts the same as any other subject in the CAO points calculation — it is included if it is one of your 6 highest scores. However, many courses have a minimum Irish grade requirement regardless of your total points. For example, Primary Teaching typically requires at least H4 in Higher Level Irish or D1 in Leaving Cert Irish (if taken in the year before Leaving Cert).
Can I choose which 6 subjects to include?
No. The CAO always picks your 6 highest-scoring subjects automatically. You cannot manually exclude a subject that scored poorly — but since the worst 2 results are simply ignored, sitting an extra subject or two can only ever help you, never hurt you.
Full worked example — CAO points calculation
Here is a complete worked example for a student who sat 8 subjects and took Higher Level Maths with an H4. Follow each step to see exactly how the final score is calculated.
Step 1 — Student’s raw grades
Step 2 — Add HL Maths bonus
The student scored H4 in Higher Level Maths. H4 = 66 points + 25 bonus = 91 points for Maths.
Step 3 & 4 — Select best 6 and add up
History and Art are not counted — they were the 7th and 8th highest scores. The CAO automatically excluded them.
Higher Level vs Ordinary Level — which gets more points?
Higher Level always scores more points than Ordinary Level for the same percentage band. But the real question is: what grade are you likely to achieve at each level?
| Your likely % score | Higher Level grade & points | Ordinary Level grade & points | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90%+ | H1 100 pts | O1 56 pts | HL wins +44 |
| 70–79% | H3 77 pts | O3 37 pts | HL wins +40 |
| 50–59% | H5 56 pts | O5 20 pts | HL wins +36 |
| 40–49% | H6 46 pts | O6 12 pts | HL wins +34 |
| 30–39% | H7 37 pts | O7 0 pts | HL wins +37 |
| Under 30% | H8 0 pts | O8 0 pts | Same — 0 pts |