Scholarships for Studying in Ireland

With its beautiful landscape, friendly people, heritage spots and institutions delivering world-class education, Ireland has emerged as a popular higher education destination. The country offers courses that are on par with the courses offered in the UK. Apart from the government scholarships, Irish institutions also offer scholarships and other funds to international students. private institutions, charitable organisations and trusts also offer scholarships and study grants to deserving international students. Let’s check out the different scholarships that Indian students can apply to.

Ireland Government Scholarships

Some of the popular Ireland government scholarships for international students including Indians are:

Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship Programme

This scholarship is funded in partnership with the Irish government and higher education institutions. The candidates will be picked on a competition basis. The Higher Education Authority in Ireland is responsible for managing this scholarship.

What is the scholarship amount?

The scholarship will be up to EUD 10,000 for one study year

Who can apply?

• Students with impressive records – academically and otherwise
• They should be outside of EU/EAA countries
• The student must also have received a final offer or a conditional offer from an Irish higher education institution
• They should possess excellent communication skills
• They should also be involved in extracurricular activities
• They should be able to prove why they chose to study in Ireland

What are the terms and conditions of this Ireland government scholarship?

• The scholarship will be awarded to study in Ireland for a period of 1 year, full-time
• The scholarship fund will be made available to the student through the higher education institution they are enrolled at
• The scholarship may be used to fund the last year of your undergraduate study, one year of your taught master’s degree or one year of your research program.
• Your institution is expected to give you a full fee waiver for the scholarship period
• There is no restriction to the discipline of study
• The last date to apply is the 25^th of March 2022, 5:00 PM, Irish time

How to apply?

• The online application details are furnished on the HEA website.
• Furnish your academic qualifications and achievements. You can also include your work experience.
• You should include a personal statement with details like the benefits of the scholarship and how you intend to give back to Irish society.
• The application should include 2 references too.

The candidates will be scored in 100 while assessing the applications. A total of 60 scholarships are available for international students.

The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Program

This is one of the highly competitive programs offered by the Irish government. The awardees are considered to possess world-class potential in the field of research. This scholarship program is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

What is the scholarship amount?

• A stipend of EUD 18,500 per year
• EUD 5,750 towards the annual fees
• EUD 3,250 per annum towards research expenses

Who can apply?

• Only postgraduate applicants are allowed
• The candidate should be looking to pursue research at the master’s, doctoral or postdoctoral level.
• The applicant should have first-class, or upper second-class honours, bachelors or an equivalent degree.

What are the terms and conditions of this Ireland government scholarship?

• There are no restricts to the discipline of study that the applicant is pursuing
• The scholarship will be available for one to four years depending on your study level.
• Applicants should first clear an eligibility quiz online and also clear it
• Applicant should not have 2 previous unsuccessful applications to this scholarship program.

How to apply?

Applicants should create their own form and submit it through the online application system. Sample forms will be available for reference.

The Walsh Scholarship

The Teagasc is a state group that provides research, education, training and developmental activities in the agri-food sector. They fund the Walsh Scholarships, which was established in memory of the late Dr Tom Walsh who was the first Director of the Agricultural Research Institute and the National Advisory and Training Service.

What is the scholarship amount?

There is no fixed value. The value will be determined by the Teagasc Authority. However, the scholarship amount will contribute to the Higher Education Institution fees as well as a maintenance award. The total amount can go up to EUD 24,000 per year.

Who can apply?

• The student should register as a postgraduate in a Higher Education Institution for a PhD or in some cases, an MSc program. However, individual students should not apply. The application should be made by their Academic Supervisor. The scholarship does not cover taught (non-research) postgraduate programs.
• The student/scholar should work towards pursuing topics under agriculture, horticulture, food, agri-food economics and rural development can apply for this scholarship.
• The student (who’ll be called the Walsh Scholar) should have a first-class or an upper second-class honours degree or an equivalent degree. A Master’s degree will also be considered.

What are the terms and conditions of this Ireland government scholarship?

The award will be given for a duration of 2-4 years for a PhD. In exceptional circumstances, it will also be awarded for an MSc for a maximum duration of 2 years.

The Supervisor of the Walsh Scholar should submit a short progress report every year to Teagasc.

The scholarship will be paid monthly to the Higher Education Institution the Walsh Scholar is enrolled at.

How to apply?

The application will be made by the Administrative Supervisor.

The scholarship will be awarded to up to 35 candidates every year.

Scholarships and funds offered by Irish Institutions

NUI Galway - South Asian Student Scholarships

The National University of Ireland, Galway is focused on attracting talented and high-performing students to their institution through the South Asian Student Scholarships. Their offers include merit-based partial tuition fee waivers.

What is the scholarship amount?

EUD 1000 to up to 50% of tuition fee waiver. The values will differ for the different subjects chosen by the students.

Who can apply?

• South Asian students who have accepted the offer to study at NUI Galway in September 2022.
• The student should be enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate program.

What are the terms and conditions of this scholarship?

• The deadline to apply for round 1 ends on 31 March. The deadline ends on 31 May for round 2.
• Students should submit a personal statement along with their application
• It is awarded as a one-time partial tuition fee waiver
• You must be a resident of a non-EU country at the time of application. As for Indian students, they should be official residents of India at the time of application.
• The student should attend the study program on a full-time basis

How to apply?

• Undergraduate students can apply through the online application portal.
• Postgraduate students can use the International Scholarship online application form.

Check out the NUI Galway webpage for more details.

For PhD students, NUI Galway offers the Hardiman Scholarship which awards a fully-funded scholarship with a stipend and fee waiver.

Scholarships offered by the University of Limerick

The University of Limerick offers several merit-based scholarships. Students needn’t individually apply for these scholarships. Once their applications are taken for consideration, they will be automatically reviewed for scholarship eligibility. The scholarships are available as fee waivers and may differ from one faculty to another.

Faculty offering the scholarship	Scholarship amount
Faculty of Science and Engineering	Scholarship worth up to EUD 1500 per year
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences	Scholarship worth up to EUD 1500 per year
Kemmy Business School	Scholarship worth up to EUD 1500 per year
Kemmy Business School (Jim Kemmy India Scholarship)	Specifically for undergraduate Indian students. Scholarship worth approximately EUD 4279.
Education and Health Science	Scholarship worth up to EUD 1500 for several master’s degrees and BSc Nursing
	Scholarship worth up to EUD 3000 for MSc Nursing

More details can be found on the University of Limerick webpage dedicated to international student scholarships.

Scholarships offered by Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin offers a merit-based scholarship exclusively for Indian students called the India Undergraduate Scholarship.

What is the scholarship amount?

Worth up to EUD 5000 which will be awarded as a reduction in the tuition fee for the first year of study.

Who can apply?

• Indian students who scored a 90% and above in their grade 12
• They should have an equivalent of International Baccalaureate score of 36 and A level score of AAB or similar

Upon accepting the offer from Trinity College Dublin, students should send an email to the concerned person attaching their CV and a personal statement conveying how they can contribute to the Trinity College Dublin community.

There are several other scholarships offered or accepted by TCD at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Do check out their website for more details.

Scholarships offered by Dublin City University

Dublin City University offers several merit scholarships for international students from on-EU countries.

What is the scholarship amount?

The scholarship amount is worth up to EUD 2000 and is awarded as a reduction in the tuition fee.

Who can apply?

High-performing students will be automatically considered for the scholarship at the time of application. However, to be awarded the scholarship, the student should receive a conditional or full offer from DCU, at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Terms and conditions of the scholarship

• The student should be studying at DCU for the first time
• They should not have received any other scholarship
• The scholarship will be awarded for 1 year of postgraduate study or the first year of undergraduate study only.
• They should be enrolled in a full-time program
• They should be ready to take up ‘International Student Ambassador’ commitments if required.

The Way Ahead

The Irish government is all set to woo students from India and other Asian countries and offers several scholarships to eligible students to attract them to study in Ireland. With a strongly research-oriented curriculum and the proximity to the UK and the rest of Europe, students are sure to have a great time studying in Ireland. Enjoy the country’s scenic countryside and historic buildings while having access to world-class education! If you are interested in studying at any institution in Ireland, just reach out to our counsellors by filling out the form on this page, and they’ll guide you further.

Sources: Ireland government scholarship, Irish Research Council, Teagasc, Walsh Scholarship, NUI Galway Scholarship

Editor's note: This article was originally published in August 2015. Our content writer Roshna Mohan has edited it to include up-to-date information and made it comprehensive.