The list of scholarships and other awards offered by colleges and universities in Ireland is extensive with more than 300 available with a wide variety of criteria for eligibility. They range from entrance scholarships for exceptional academic results, to supports for sports excellence, or particular subject areas such as music, the arts and many more. It is well worth taking the time to investigate the options.

Scholarship funding opportunities vary vastly from college to college. While this can make finding a suitable scholarship a little bit tricky, it emphasises the high number of fantastic opportunities available to students nationwide. To make things easier, we have built our own scholarship search engine. By using our search engine, you will be able to search scholarships by name and even filter opportunities by institution. It is a great way to narrow down the parameters of your search, so make sure to give it a try by clicking the link below.

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH ENGINE

General Information

Scholarships and awards can broadly be divided into two groups:

Academic and/or Other Achievement

• Entrance Scholarship/Award – a financial award is given to a student who achieves a certain minimum number of Leaving Certificate points (e.g. NUIM awards an entrance scholarship of €1,000 to each incoming 1st Year Student to get 550 points or more; UCD award the ‘Entrance Exhibition Award’ to 1st Years with 560 points or more in recognition of their academic accomplishment to date. TCD has a similar award.)

• Sports Scholarships - The college/institution provides financial and/or other specific supports, once you have accepted your place with them. It is based on sporting performance and ability

• Performing Arts Scholarships – supports students to access a place on a specific arts/music/drama programme

Points Concession /Reduced Points requirements

• The college adds additional points to your initial CAO points score, based on how you did in the Leaving Cert, to enable you to access a college course (e.g NUIG offers a limited number of scholarships to athletes who apply for courses that need more than 350 points – 40 points are added for successful applicants, who may also be able to access the additional benefits of the NUIG Sports Scholarships available)
• The college provides points/incentives to encourage students who may not otherwise attend university.

What are the main scholarship and award schemes out there?

Below is an outline of just some of the many scholarships and awards available to new entrants to colleges and universities – it is not an exhaustive list and the information may change. Follow the links for further information - applicants should always consult the individual college web pages for the latest information, application and closing dates.

The Naughton Scholarships aim to promote the study of STEM - engineering, science and technology at third level by students in Ireland. Each year from February to May Leaving Certificate students can apply for a scholarship if they intend to study a STEM subject at third level that year. The scheme is particularly interested in application from students applying for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics related subjects rather than the more practical sciences (Medicine, Nursing, Veterinary, Physiotherapy etc). All applications are reviewed in August each year and the winners of scholarships are notified in September. Full details on who is eligible to apply for a scholarship, the terms and conditions applicable to the scholarships and answers to frequent questions are available here.

Irish Tax Institute Scholarship

Have you got students who are interested in tax as a career? Are they sitting their Leaving Cert in June 2019? Then check out this scholarship! Expressions of interest must be made by 8 March 2019, and the closing date is 12 April 2019. For more information, view the brochure  

Scholarships include financial support for third-level living expenses and costs, a place on the prestigious Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) programme after your degree, and mentoring and support from the Irish Tax Institute.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES

Several scholarship and bursary schemes operate through the Department of Education and Skills. These include the following:

Third Level Bursary Scheme (DEIS)

A scheme of bursaries for students from DEIS schools, based on Leaving Certificate examination results.

Applications are not needed for these bursaries as they are awarded on a regional basis (Dublin, rest of Leinster, Munster and Connaught/Ulster) based on Leaving Certificate results.

Further information is available here including:

• Third Level Bursary Scheme - Information Flier
• Bursary Scheme application details

Ernest Walton STEM Bursary - DEIS /STEM

For the 2018/19 academic year at least eight bursaries are being made available through this scheme. Like with the Third Level Bursary Scheme, these bursaries are aimed at students attending a DEIS school, who intend completing a third level course in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field.

Applications are necessary for the Ernest Walton (STEM) bursary - details are availble here for:

• Annual Bursary Scheme
• Ernest Walton STEM Bursary - Information Flier
• Ernest Walton STEM Bursary - Application Form

The closing date for receipt of these applications is 5pm on Friday, 26th July 2019.

All Ireland Scholarship Scheme

The All Ireland Scholarship Scheme is administered by the Department of Education & Skills and funded by J.P. McManus. No applications are necessary for the All Ireland Scholarships as they are awarded based on the Leaving Certificate exam results.  They are available to first-time Leaving Certificate students who have been exempt from paying the Leaving Certificate exam fee and who have attended non-fee paying post primary schools.

For further information see the All Ireland Scholarship website.

The All Ireland Scholarship Scheme will provide third-level education scholarships to 125 top-performing Leaving Certificate students from disadvantaged backgrounds each year. 

Republic of Ireland Applicants:

There is no application process in the Republic of Ireland. You must however fit the following criteria:

• You must attend a non-fee paying secondary school
• You must be exempt from paying the Leaving Certificate Fee. Exemption from payment of the Leaving Certificate fee must have been communicated to the State Examinations Commission before the issue of the Leaving Certificate results. The completion of the form for exemption from the Leaving Certificate Fee automatically communicates your eligibility to the Department of Education and Skills via the State Examinations Commission
• You must be doing the Leaving Certificate for the first time
• You must not be the holder of another scholarship as outlined in further detail on the Department of Education and Skills website

Details here. Download PDF here.

Professor William C Campbell Bursary Scheme

The Professor William C. Campbell bursary competition will be open to students who complete their Leaving Certificate at a DEIS school and are beginning their undergraduate studies in the 2019/20 academic year. Students will be eligible for a €5,000 annual bursary if they:

• are exempt from the Leaving Certificate fee
• study two Leaving Certificate science subjects (one of which must be biology)
• are sitting the Leaving Certificate in 2019/20
• have applied to study an approved course leading to a primary degree in Zoology, Medicine, Physiology, or Biomedical Sciences.

 For more details, click here.

The 1916 Bursary Scheme

All 1916 Bursary recipients must be economically disadvantaged AND from one of the following target groups:

• socio-economic groups that have low participation in higher education;
• first-time mature student entrants;
• students with a disability – particularly students with a physical/mobility impairment, students are who deaf/hard of hearing and students who are blind or have a visual impairment;
• Irish Travellers;
• those entering on the basis of a further education award;
• lone parents who have been confirmed by the Department of Social Affairs and Employment Protection as holding a means-tested social welfare payment; or
• ethnic minorities.

Find details on the 1916 Bursary Scheme here.

Useful links for student funding information

Student Finance - provides specific details of grants and other available financial supports for students. CLICK HERE  The EU Funding Guide - this is an initiative of the European Commission. It gives details of more than 12,000 scholarships, grants, loans and other funding options available in European third-level institutions (including Ireland), which are worth an estimated €27 billion. However, more than two-thirds of students in Europe never even think to apply for any type of scholarship. In Ireland, there are over 300 scholarships and bursaries available in colleges across the country, with wide and varied eligibility criteria. Many have a focus on academic ability, but for those who have talents in sport, business, languages or artistic fields, there are many opportunities too.  CLICK HERE to visit the European Funding Guide Website.