Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the expansion of the Government’s Apply to School online admissions system, following the successful pilot programme involving three schools in Athenry.

Presentation College, Clarin College and Coláiste an Eachréidh were among the first schools in Ireland to trial the online admissions platform when it was introduced last year. Building on the success of that pilot, the system is now being expanded to additional school planning areas, with Calasanctius College in Oranmore joining the next phase.

The Apply to School platform provides parents and guardians with a single online application process for first-year places, making school admissions simpler, more transparent and easier to navigate. The expanded programme will involve 22 post-primary schools across ten school planning areas and is expected to benefit around 2,600 families applying for first-year places this October.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Canney said the experience of the Athenry schools had helped shape the next phase of the project.

“I’m particularly pleased that Presentation College, Clarin College and Coláiste an Eachréidh were among the first schools in the country to pilot this new system. Their participation has helped demonstrate how technology can make the admissions process simpler and more straightforward for families.

“This is another positive step towards developing a consistent national admissions system that works better for families while reducing the administrative burden on schools.”

The Apply to School system was first introduced in Autumn 2025 as part of the Government’s commitment to develop a nationwide common application system for post-primary admissions. Following a review of the pilot programme, which received very positive feedback from both schools and parents, the number of participating school planning areas has now doubled from five to ten.

Detailed information for parents and guardians on the expanded admissions process will be published by the Department of Education and Youth in September.