What Is the Leaving Certificate, and How to Preserve It for College Use?

The Leaving Certificate (Irish Leaving Cert) written exams for 2025 were held from June 4th to June 24th. They are Ireland's final secondary school exams that play an important role in college entrance. 

Colleges require the Leaving Certificate from candidates to process applications and determine eligibility for admission through the CAO system. This makes it essential to manage and protect the certificate. UPDF is an ideal tool for scanning and storing your Leaving Certificate, and a powerful resource for document management as you prepare for college.

Part 1. What Is the Leaving Certificate?

The Leaving Certificate, or Leaving Cert, is Ireland's state secondary school final exam. This exam is taken by senior cycle students between the ages of 16 and 19 and requires approximately two years of preparation. Around 55,000 to 60,000 students take the Leaving Certificate Examination each year. The State Examinations Commission oversees the examination. 

There are three types of programmes students can take under the Leaving Certificate Ireland framework:

1. Established Leaving Certificate (LC)

The Established Leaving Certificate (LC) is the most common academic programme. It requires students to choose at least five subjects, one of which should be Irish. Most students usually take six to seven subjects.

2. Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA)

The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) is a two-year programme focused on work-related experience. It involves three main areas, i.e., vocational preparation, general education, and vocational education. Students can choose from a range of courses, each of which has several modules. It is ideal for students who wish to enter the workforce or pursue vocational education directly.

3. Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP)

The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) is a programme with a dedicated focus on the vocational aspect. It serves as a supplement to the LC curriculum and focuses on vocational skills, business management, and work experience for students. Students need to take a minimum of five subjects (at Foundation, Ordinary, or Higher level) to complete this programme. 

Duration and Results of Leaving Certificate Examination in 2025

The Leaving Certificate Ireland Examination in 2025 began on June 4th and concluded on June 24th. They lasted for a three-week period. The results will be issued on August 25, 2025. Students can access the results from the Candidate Self Service Portal on the State Examinations Commission's website.

International Equivalents of Leaving Certificate

Many other countries have equivalent school-leaving qualifications for students completing secondary education. The table below lists the equivalents of the Leaving Certificate in other countries:

Country	Equivalent of Leaving Certificate
United States and Canada	High School Diploma
Italy, Switzerland, Albania, Poland, and many other European countries	Matura
England and Wales	A Level or BTEC
South Africa	National Senior Certificate
Germany	Abitur

Part 2. Save Your Leaving Certificate in UPDF

Students use the Central Applications Office (CAO) system to apply to universities. CAO is Ireland's centralized system for processing applications to undergraduate courses in Irish Higher Education Institutions. It handles the administrative aspects of applying to universities, but individual HEIs make the decisions.

When students use CAO to apply, they have to post photocopies of their certificates, while the HEIs may require them to supply the original documents at a later date. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve the original documents. That's where UPDF steps in.

UPDF is the ultimate document tool for students, reputed for its powerful PDF management and editing features. It helps students in all the stages of scanning, organizing, storing, and sharing their Leaving Certificate PDF. It ensures that the original document remains intact.

Students can start by using the UPDF Android/iOS app to scan their original documents and retain digital copies. Afterward, they can use these digital copies while submitting applications.

When printing duplicates, they can directly print the digital versions instead of repeatedly taking out the originals for copying. This approach minimizes potential damage or misplacement of the original documents. 

On top of that, UPDF Cloud provides secure cloud storage to store and access documents from any device at any time. 

Check out the steps below to scan the original Leaving Certificate and upload it to UPDF Cloud directly from your smartphone:

Step 1. Install and launch the UPDF app from Google Play or App Store. 

Step 2. Click the "Scanner" tab from the bottom and then tap the "Camera" icon.

Step 3. Use the camera to capture a photo of your original Leaving Certificate. UPDF's Auto Selection Frame will help you accurately detect and capture the document area. 

Step 4. After scanning, you can perform the necessary edits using the toolbar. You can rotate, crop, resize, add a filter, or even add more pages. Afterward, click the "Download" button from the top to save the PDF. 

Step 5. To add the Leaving Certificate PDF to UPDF Cloud, go back to the UPDF main dashboard. Click the "3-dots" button next to the file and tap "Copy to UPDF Cloud".

This way, you can easily use the UPDF app to scan, save, and access digital copies of your original certificates.

Bonus Tip: UPDF - Your All-in-One Document Tool During College

UPDF is not just a companion while applying for colleges; it is also your go-to document tool during college. 

UPDF is an advanced AI-powered PDF editor. It simplifies different PDF-related tasks, including:

• Editing
• Annotating 
• Converting
• Organizing
• Merging
• Compressing
• OCR
• And many more

On top of that, UPDF AI serves as your virtual learning assistant. It provides AI-powered summaries, translations, and explanations of documents. For example, if you are reading a research paper, it can give instant summaries and let you ask questions through its chat interface. 

In short, UPDF is a useful tool for managing academic documents efficiently throughout your college career. 

Feel impressed? Download UPDF and start using its feature-packed capabilities from today.

Part 3. FAQs about Leaving Certificate in Ireland

Conclusion

The Leaving Certificate is the decisive final examination for students after two years of senior cycle study. Their future college enrollment depends on how their grades turn up. After collecting the Leaving Cert, students must scan and preserve it in PDF format. With UPDF, you get a one-stop platform to scan, save, share, and print the certificate anytime with simple taps. Therefore, focus on getting top grades and then use UPDF to secure your Leaving Certificate.