Application Opens: 29 January 2026; Deadline: 5pm (Irish time) 12 March 2026
LOCATION: Ireland
The Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES) programme supports high-caliber international students who wish to study at NFQ levels 9 or 10 (master’s, postgraduate diploma, or PhD) in Ireland. 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.
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, 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 inquiries 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)”. Appendix 1 is available on this webpage as a separate document and may be further updated with additional contact details.
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.
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.
BENEFIT:
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.
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