QQI FET (FETAC/PLC) 2026 Entry

REQUEST A CALL-BACK

Spring Open Day

**Register for our June Open Day on Wednesday 24 June from 10am until 1pm**

Your QQI FET or PLC results could be your route into DCU. Over 65 of our undergraduate courses have dedicated places reserved specifically for Further Education students - meaning you're not competing against Leaving Cert applicants for the same spots.

Up to 10% of places on qualifying courses are set aside for QQI FET applicants. To compete, you'll need a full Level 5 award with a minimum of five distinctions, achieved in one sitting. Some courses have specific award or module requirements, so it's worth checking your target course before you apply.

Applications are made through the CAO at www.cao.ie. Full details on entry requirements, scoring, and offer dates are available on the CAO website. To get a sense of the QQI FET points needed in previous years, you can view the 2025 QQI FET Offer Statistics, 2024 QQI FET Offer Statistics and the 2023 QQI FET Offer Statistics.

If you have any questions about your options or which FET or PLC course best aligns with your target DCU programme, get in touch - we're happy to help before you apply.

Entry Requirements

• Full QQI FET/FETAC Level 5 Award: You must achieve a full Major Award in the appropriate qualification in a single sitting (Please check the recognized awards for each DCU course individually).
   
• Minimum of Five Distinctions: At least five distinctions must be achieved. Please note that places are competitive and awarded to the highest-scoring applicants first.
   
• Specific Module Requirements: Many DCU courses have specific module requirements, such as a distinction in a specific Maths or specific Science module  (Please check each DCU course individually).
   
• QQI FET Points: Applicants who meet the above requirements will compete for a place based on their total QQI points score.
   

QQI FET Points 

Application to DCU is competitive, and places are awarded on a merit basis.

• Advice for Applicants: While the minimum requirement is five distinctions, we strongly encourage you to aim for all distinctions in your QQI FET award. This gives you the best possible chance of securing a place, though it does not guarantee one.
   
• Plan Your Choices Wisely: It is worth keeping other DCU courses on your CAO Level 8 choice form as additional options to ensure you have multiple pathways into the university.
   

QQI FET Level 6 Awards

Applicants with a full FET Level 6 Major Award may apply for Year 1 entry through the CAO Level 5 pathway. However, all applicants must meet any published award requirements. Level 6 applicants may wish to apply for programmes that do not have a specific award or module requirement. FET Level 6 applicants may also consider applying for Advanced Entry for some DCU programmes - see the list of courses that accept Advanced Entry application. Further information is available on the Advanced Entry section of the Registry website. 

QQI FET Places and Entry Requirements Table

You can view the number of QQI FET places and entry requirements for each DCU course by faculty below. Please also visit the CAO website for details.
 

Business School

* Due to the competitive nature of FET quota places, it was not possible to offer to all applicants on the same points range, so random selection was applied. 
 

Humanities and Social Sciences 

Faculty of Engineering and Computing

* Due to the competitive nature of FET quota places, it was not possible to offer to all applicants on the same points range, so random selection was applied. 

Faculty of Science and Health

* Due to the competitive nature of FET quota places, it was not possible to offer to all applicants on the same points range, so random selection was applied. 

Institute of Education

* Due to the competitive nature of FET quota places, it was not possible to offer to all applicants on the same points range, so random selection was applied. 

QQI FET Application Video

Please visit the CAO website for a detailed Video Guide on how to apply.

Chat to our Student Ambassadors

If you have any questions about studying at DCU, you can chat to our Student Ambassadors.

Graduate Experience

Hear about Dearbhail's story, from entering DCU through a Further Education pathway to becoming the CEO of the National Adult Learning Organisation below.

Campus Tour

If you would like a guided tour of DCU, please email studentrecruitment@dcu.ie and place ‘Campus Tour’ in the subject line.
 

QQI FET Presentation

If you are a QQI FET provider and would like a DCU presentation delivered to your students please complete our Booking Form.

*QQI FET Points Estimator

Enter credit scores (120 credits maximum) and module results (8 modules maximum) from a single sitting only to estimate possible FE points combinations. Use your best results to predict scoring (*estimator is for information purposes only and does not guarantee you a place on a course in DCU. Contact your FE provider for credit/module points calculation).



 

Finding a QQI FET Course to Study

If you are looking for a QQI FET course to study in Ireland, please visit the Further Education and Training Hub www.fetchcourses.ie

Email Us

If you have a question about QQI FET, please contact:

Paul Hegarty
Student Recruitment Officer - FE Specialist
Email: paul.hegarty@dcu.ie

Request a Call Back

If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please submit your details below and we will call you back.