HEAR / DARE (third-level access admissions routes)
HEAR and DARE College Access Schemes
Paid by Irish Universities Association (IUA) participating institutions · 🇮🇪 Ireland
What this pays
The published value, how it is calculated, and whether it is cash or a credit ceiling.
Email and a six-digit code, then €50 a year. No password to forget.
Who qualifies
UnlockThe 4 published rules this programme tests you against — age, income, residency, household and the rest.
The steps, documents and official link are part of the paid plan. Checking how much you're owed stays free.
2 documents you'll need
UnlockExactly what to gather before you start, so nothing sends you back to the beginning.
Where this comes from
HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) and DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) are third-level alternative admissions schemes for school-leavers whose socio-economic background or disability has negatively impacted their education
https://handbook.cao.ie/page/applying-for-hear-and-dare
A researcher has read this record against the official page.
Last checked against the official page on 5 October 2026
Source: handbook.cao.ie
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Related reading: How to read a grant eligibility rule
Other education & training support in Ireland
10 more programmes are on the paid plan, with the amount, the rules, the documents and the steps for each.
- Student Assistance Fund (SAF)
- 1916 Bursary Fund
- Springboard+ (free and subsidised upskilling courses)
- School Transport Scheme
- Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)
- Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
- Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses
- Erasmus+ student and staff mobility grant
- Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD)
- Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES)
Similar programmes
Free Fees Initiative (undergraduate tuition)
Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD)
Higher Education Authority (HEA) for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
School Transport Scheme
Department of Education (operated by Bus Éireann)
Springboard+ (free and subsidised upskilling courses)
Higher Education Authority (HEA) / Department of Further and Higher Education
Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES)
Higher Education Authority (HEA) / Government of Ireland
SUSI Student Grant (maintenance and fees)
Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI, a business unit of CDETB)