College rejects claims it knowingly offered courses facing cancellation

Carlow College has responded to criticism from Senator Patricia Stephenson over claims that prospective students were allowed to apply for courses that were later cancelled.

A spokesperson for the college says its undergraduate programmes were included in the CAO for 2026 entry with the intention of accepting students next September.

However, following discussions involving the college, the Department of Further and Higher Education and SETU, the programmes were removed from the CAO system on May 19th.

Carlow College says once it became clear that an intake would not be possible for the 2026/27 academic year, it moved at the earliest opportunity to inform applicants and remove the course listings.