Overview

The Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES) programme supports high-calibre international students who wish to study at NFQ levels 9 or 10 (master’s, postgraduate diploma or PhD) in Ireland [1]. The programme is funded by the Government of Ireland in partnership with Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) and managed by the Higher Education Authority. Under the initiative, 60 scholarships are awarded each year for one year of full-time study at NFQ levels 9 or 10.

What's included?

A Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship consists of a stipend amounting to €10,000 for one year of full-time study at NFQ levels 9 or 10.  The awardees’ host higher education institutions are required to give a full fee waiver to the awardees for the year of their scholarship.

Am I eligible?

In order to be eligible for a Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship, applicants must have a domiciliary of origin outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Candidates will first need to apply for admission to a master’s, postgraduate diploma or PhD programme offered by an eligible Irish higher education institution as per that institution’s admission procedures. Candidates are advised to make enquiries directly to the relevant higher education institution about the eligibility of their course for GOI-IES. Where available, the institutions’ contact details are included in Appendix 1 of the 2026 GOI-IES call document, “Eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)”.

Applicants must have a conditional or final offer of admission to an eligible Irish higher education institution at the time of applying for a Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship. Proof of admission must be submitted with the GOI-IES application, in the relevant section of the GOI-IES application form. Prospective candidates who have previously held a GOI-IES scholarship are not eligible to apply. Russian and Belarusian nationals are not eligible to apply.

How to apply

Potential applicants should read the call documentation carefully to ascertain whether they are eligible to apply. Applications must be submitted via the 2026 GOI-IES online portal. A link to the application portal will be provided on this page when the 2026 call opens in late January 2026. A maximum of one application per candidate may be submitted in the 2026 cycle of the GOI-IES programme.

All applications require two references to be uploaded by the applicants via the online portal. It is recommended that candidates submit their applications well before the deadline, to avoid technical issues due to heavy server traffic on the respective day. Applications cannot be submitted once the deadline has passed. No alterations can be made to an application once it has been submitted.

Assessment process

Applicants are expected to demonstrate:

• a record of outstanding academic achievement;
• excellent communication skills;
• participation in extracurricular activities, for example, humanitarian work, politics, arts or sport;
• a strong rationale for pursuing their study in Ireland that indicates how a Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship would align with their longer-term goals.

Applications will be shared with the relevant higher education institutions, who will check them for eligibility and shortlist them based on alignment with institutional strategic objectives. The shortlisted applications will then be assessed by an independent panel of assessors. Full details of the assessment process are included in the 2026 Call document.

Key dates

Contact information

Information about the 2026 call of the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship programme is available in the 2026 Call document and FAQs, which can be downloaded from this webpage. A sample application form is also provided on an indicative basis only. GOI-IES information specific to each eligible higher education institution may also be provided on the institutions’ websites. Please consult Appendix 1 of the 2026 GOI-IES call document for a list of the available GOI-IES webpages on the institutions’ websites.

If you cannot find the information you need in any of the sources provided, please feel free to email goi-ies@hea.ie. GOI-IES queries about matters specific to the higher education institutions must be directed to the institutions, using the contact details provided in Appendix 1 of the 2026 GOI-IES call document.