High demand for UCD in Round One of the CAO in 2026 with all UCD programmes requiring more than 400 points for the second year in a row.

By John O'Connor | Aug 26 2026

The first round of the Central Applications Office (CAO) has been released. UCD’s share of the total number of CAO applicants for 2026 was 34.4% for Level 8 courses with 30,558 applicants overall. 

10,766 CAO students chose UCD as their first choice this year. This is a new record of first-preference applications to the university, accounting for almost 14% of the total number of first-preferences through the CAO. 

DN670 Economics and Finance remains the course with the highest required CAO points in UCD at 625. This is followed by DN230 Actuarial and Financial Studies at 602.