Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship

GOI-IES prioritizes the selection of students who apply for the same academic year as the intended year of study, To be eligible for the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship, an applicant must:

• be an international student (not from EU/ EEA or Switzerland)
• be applying for admission to a relevant Bachelor, Master or Ph.D. program at one of the eligible universities or colleges in Ireland offering full-time programs.
• have a conditional or final admission offer from one of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) for-
  • The final year of a UG program
  • One year of a taught master program
  • One year of a research program

Additionally, a candidate must:

• possess excellence (academically, personally, professionally, creatively)
• showcase excellent communication abilities
• show his/her involvement in extracurricular activities ( like humanitarian work; politics- local, national, international; arts; sports)
• possess a strong rationale for studying in Ireland that indicates how a GOI-IES fits into their longer-term goals.

In case an applicant has been accepted to more than one university, they need to submit separate applications for each course offered.

To apply for the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship, applicants are required to complete an online scholarship application. The students must check the course and its eligibility before applying for the scholarship.

• Complete the application form through the Higher Education Authority official online portal
• Submit the required documents-
  • Academic qualification, achievements or work experience
  • Personal Statement with answers to the three questions asked
  • Two references

A marking scheme with a total of 100 marks is part of the selection criteria. Each of the requirements carries some points. For example, the applicants who meet the academic and work experience are awarded 40 marks while the personal statements carry 45 marks (15 marks each) and 15 marks for the references.

All the applications for the scholarships must be submitted through the online portal. The last date for the submission of applications is 5 pm (Irish Time) 13 March 2024

HEA will establish an independent International Assessment Panel that considers the applications for the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship based on the criteria stated for the 2020 Call.

• All the applications will be considered solely based on the material provided to the HEA at the time of submission.
• Priority is given to students who do not have any alternative scholarships or other funding options
• Applications are first screened by HEA for eligibility. Post this, the HEI provides feedback regarding the international strategic objective for
  • Country of origin of applicants
  • The proposed program of study
  • Applicant’s field of study
  • Institutional capacity
• Each application will then be assessed by two remote independent members of the Assessment Panel. Points will be allocated depending on the evaluation criteria independently.
• After assessing all the applications and the scores, the top twelve ranked applications will be automatically funded based on excellence.
• The remaining 48 will be allocated with consideration to the institution, field and level of study, social benefit, etc.