Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in Ireland for International Students 2025/2026. Studying in Ireland can be amazing. Not only is it a beautiful country with loads of tourist attractions but also home to some of the best universities in Europe.
The Government of Ireland Scholarship program offers financial support and other benefits to international students in Irish universities.
This study program offers great support for international students who want to study in one of the top universities in Europe!
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Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in Ireland for International Students 2025/2026
Below are 10 scholarships available for international students to pursue their studies in Ireland.
1. UCD Global Excellence Scholarships
One of the top universities in the world and most popular choice for international students is University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland.
Every year UCD offers a few Global Excellence Scholarships to international non-EU students starting in September.
To be eligible for the UCD Global Excellence Graduate Scholarships, applicants must meet the following requirements.
Eligibility and Requirement:
Applicant must meet the following eligibility criteria.
- Must indicate in their application whether it is an “Offer”, “Conditional Offer”, “Accept” or “Conditional Accept”.
- Must be able to pay for themselves and in terms of tuition be classified as non-EU.
- Applying for a full-time Master’s degree that is not associated with Smurfit Business School, online, clinical or joint programs.
- Either a citizen of one of the qualifying countries or a permanent resident.
2. UCD Smurfit School MSc Academic Excellence Scholarship
The UCD Smurfit School MSc Academic Excellence Scholarship will cover 25% to 50% of tuition and will be awarded to successful MSc candidates.
These scholarships are for academically excellent students who will act as ambassadors for their course and the school during and after graduation.
Eligibility and Requirement:
- Open to all successful full-time MSc applicants who are not Irish residents and have met the required minimum requirements.
- Scholarships are for self-sponsored individuals who have been offered a place in a full-time MSc program.
- Applicants must have completed the application process for the program of their choice and met all admissions requirements.* Not applicable to UCD Belfield programs with UCD Smurfit School (MSc Biotechnology and Business, MSc Biotherapeutics and Business, MSc International Law and Business)
3. Canon Collins Trust Ireland Fellows Programme
Early- to mid-career professionals from eligible countries who have the potential to become leaders can get a top-notch education that builds capacity through the Ireland Fellows Program.
For a year, it allows a select group of students to be fully funded to study a master’s programme at a higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland.
Eligibility and Requirement:
- To be eligible for an Ireland Fellows Programme – Africa scholarship starting in 2025, you must be a citizen of Lesotho or Zimbabwe.
- Depending on your location, you should have at least two or three years of work experience that is directly related to your proposed programme(s) of study.
- Have a bachelor’s level academic qualification from an accredited and government recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale).
- Not already hold a master’s degree or higher. Not currently enrolled in a master’s or higher level programme, or due to start one in 2025/26.
4. One Young World 2023 Refugee Scholarship
As the global community for young leaders, One Young World is committed to developing the potential of young leaders from all backgrounds. This scholarship programme aims to increase the representation of young leaders who are refugees.
The scholarship will allow young leaders to travel to Belfast, UK, for the One Young World Summit.
In addition to attending the Summit, each scholar will become a member of the One Young World Ambassador network which will give them access to an ongoing programme of mentorship, educational opportunities, speaking engagements and funding opportunities.
Eligibility and Requirement:
- Must be a refugee or have direct personal experience of forced displacement.
- Aged 18 – 35
- Proven leadership skills (role models) in their community.
- Ability to innovate and solve problems with a focus on values.
- Ability to produce and communicate meaningful ideas.
- Commitment to making a positive difference in refugee communities.
5. University of Galway International Scholarships
The University of Galway is committed to attracting the best students from around the world. In line with their global strategy, they do this by offering a range of merit-based scholarships to students from non-EU countries.
Foreign students starting their studies at the University of Galway are eligible for various scholarships.**Eligibility and Requirement:
You must be:
- international student
- self-funded
and have:
- met the requirements in your offer letter for a full-time undergraduate programme and have a place on a approved programme starting in September 2025 for full-time study at University of Galway.
- approved your offer by 1st May
6. National College of Ireland Sports Scholarship
The scholarship is an investment in students; it’s looking for financial support and performance based incentives so students can focus on their academic and athletic goals.
Sports scholarships are available to full time students who have participated in international, national, interprovincial or intercounty competitions and can do so.
Eligibility and Requirement:
These two types of qualifying requirements must be met to be eligible for an international student scholarship:
- National College of Ireland Eligibility Criteria -the requirements you must meet to be admitted to National College of Ireland.
- Sports Scholarship Specific Eligibility Criteria -To be considered for the Sports Scholarship you must meet certain conditions.
These criteria vary by institution and scholarship so make a note of them before submitting your application.
7. TUD Master Program Hydro Science and Engineering
The program aims to provide exceptional management of the water sector in all its many forms. Students will be able to handle the demands of international research and practice in the future.
Eligibility and Requirement:
- Master’s course application requires a degree in civil engineering or natural sciences:
- International students pursuing a bachelor’s degree
- After their third year or sixth semester students from German universities are eligible to apply to the Hydro Science and Engineering Master program.
- Admission is dependent on a successful third year of studies and a qualifying Pre-Diploma (Vordiplom).
- Successful alumni of a German “Fachhochschule”
8. Coimbra Group Universities Scholarship Program for Young African Researchers
The scholarships are financially provided by the Coimbra Group member universities that participate in this scheme, while the Coimbra Group Office handles the administrative aspects of the applications.
Eligibility and Requirement:
Applicants must be:
- either citizens or current residents of a country that meets the requirements in Sub-Saharan Africa, or those born on or after January 1, 1979.
- workers at a university or other similar institution of higher learning in a country that is eligible to be considered Sub-Saharan Africa.
- possessing a PhD, postdoctoral or similar title, ideally.
9. University College Cork Puttnam Scholarship Programme
Six students will work with Oscar winning producer Lord David Puttnam who has produced Chariots of Fire, The Mission, The Killing Fields and Midnight Express through the Puttnam Scholars programme.
This is a new benchmark for industry/sector mentoring and students get special mentoring.
Eligibility and Requirement:
- Must be a UCC student in a postgraduate level 9 program or undergraduate/level 8 program (final year).
- Once selected, students will be a Puttnam Scholar for a full academic year.
- Puttnam Scholars will work on a team project during the year and will have to attend 6 video conference mentorship and coaching sessions with Lord Puttnam.
10. Limerick Institute of Technology Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree Scholarship
Students who are enrolled in undergraduate courses at Limerick Institute of Technology are eligible to apply for undergraduate bachelor’s degree scholarships for 2025.
TUS uses the online Flywire system to process fees from outside of Ireland. To pay your fees you must have a conditional offer from TUS. If you currently have a conditional offer from TUS you can use the Flywire platform to make a payment.
Eligibility and Requirement:
- Bachelor’s degree in each profession includes qualifying courses or subjects.
- To be eligible applicants must meet the above conditions. Scholarships are awarded to students following a review by the relevant faculty and the Office of International Services.
- Good academic record.
- If your final training does not include English, IELTS or TOEFL.
Who can apply for a scholarship in Ireland?
- International students enrolled in a Master’s degree program in any discipline at an Irish university who have been resident outside the EU for at least 3 years prior to starting their course are eligible.
- Applicants cannot apply more than once.
- With one exception—Irish nationals can apply from anywhere as long as they meet the residency requirements, whereas international applicants can only apply if they intend to attend an approved Irish university—the eligibility requirements for international applicants are the same as for Irish citizens.
- Candidates cannot submit two consecutive applications.
- Research Master’s candidates cannot have held or be holding a Council Postgraduate Scholarship at the time of application.
- PhD candidates cannot be in the process of receiving or have received these scholarships in the past and must have an undergraduate degree with honours in first class.7. If you are not a Swiss, EU or EEA citizen you must have lived abroad for at least 3 years before applying. You don’t need to meet this criteria if you are a citizen of one of these countries.
- Undergraduate or graduate students must be full-time, in their final year of study or less than 6 months from graduating.
How to apply?
You can be from anywhere in the world and apply for the scholarship in any field but you must be able to prove your eligibility. Just follow these steps to apply for this scholarship.
- Register on the website.
- Get your username and password for the online account.
- Log in and fill up the form.
- Fill up all the required information.
- Add supplementary files such as academic transcripts and research proposals.
- Submit your application.
- Check if your application was received; you will receive an email to confirm.
- The last step in applying for Government of Ireland Scholarship is to wait for the result. The application process takes about 2 weeks and each application will be carefully reviewed before being awarded.
Summary
Ireland has many merit-based scholarships for international students. Universities and the Irish government are offering many scholarships.
As a student all you have to do is use this article to get started and get that scholarship!
Getting a scholarship will reduce your educational costs. You can also use it to monitor your living costs in Ireland! Apply for the scholarship after putting in a lot of study time!
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