CALL CLOSED

Overview

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

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 master’s or PhD level.  The awardees’ host higher education institutions are required to give a full fee waiver to the awardees for the year of their scholarship. Successful scholars will be expected to commence their studies in either September or October 2024.

Eligibility

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/ United Kingdom. Candidates will need to apply for admission to a relevant master’s or PhD programme offered by an eligible higher education institution as per that institution’s admission procedures. Applicants must have a conditional or final offer of admission to that higher education institution at the time of application and will be required to submit a copy of same. The offer letter must confirm that the student has been offered a place on a full-time programme as an international fee-paying student. In the context of the continued aggression of Russia in Ukraine, Russian and Belarussian 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. An indicative version of the application form is provided for information purposes only. Applications must be submitted via the online portal. All applications require two references to be uploaded 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;
• evidence of participation in extracurricular activities, for example humanitarian work, politics, arts or sport; and
• 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 first 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 international assessors. Full details of the assessment process are available in the call document.

Key dates

Contact

For information about the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship programme, please consult the documents provided on this page, including the 2024 call document, FAQs and the indicative application form. If you cannot find the information you need in any of these documents, please feel free to email goi-ies@hea.ie.