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Scholarships
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, financial need, research experience or specific professional experience.
There are a number of scholarships, or financial supports available to help you access college.
The Higher Education Authority provides details of many scholarships and bursaries.
The most widely known scholarships available to college students are below.
KickStart Scholarship Fund – Athlone
The KickStart Scholarship Fund is a newly established scholarship, established by the Probation Service, and supported by the Irish Prison Service, to support persons with a criminal justice history who are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage to access Higher Education (HE). These scholarships meet a strategic objective of the Working to Change social enterprise and employment strategy 2021-2023 (www.workingtochange.ie).
Learn more about the KickStart Scholarship Fund here.
Uversity Higher Education Scholarships for Adult learners
Uversity’s scholarships are intended to unlock adult learners’ potential. (Uversity is the correct spelling so we didn’t make a mistake.) They aim to remove the financial barriers for someone who is doing a degree for the first time. Scholarships are not limited to particular subject areas. They will enable people who are 23 years or older to complete a degree in one of the colleges taking part in the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland.
Check out the Uversity website for more information.
The All Ireland Scholarship Scheme
Each year, this annual scholarship scheme provides college scholarships to 100 top performing eligible Leaving Certificate students from less advantaged backgrounds. This scheme will continue to operate while the All Ireland Scholarships Trust Fund remains in place. The All Ireland Scholarships Trust provides funding for 100 scholarships in Ireland each year.
For more information on the scholarship check out the All Ireland Scholarship Scheme Website.
1916 Bursary
The 1916 Bursary provides financial support to encourage participation and success by students who are most socio-economically disadvantaged and who are from groups most under-represented in higher education. There are three levels of bursary support awarded to eligible applicants for the duration of their studies up to and including postgraduate study.
For information and FAQ’s about the 1916 Bursary, visit our 1916 Bursary information page.
St Vincent de Paul Education Grant
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) recognises the importance of further education. However, for many people accessibility and affordability are real barriers to a college education and training.
The SVP Education and Training Bursary Fund has been set up to support students of all ages who may be financially struggling to access or stay in college education and training programmes.
If you are interested in this grant, please know that you must show that you have applied for all available state funding or other grants. Information on other sources of funding is available on the SVP Student Finance website.
If you would like more information on how you can apply to the SVP Education and Training Bursary Programme, contact your regional office of the St Vincent de Paul.
Please note, SVP can only give bursary awards when it has the funds.
TUS University of Sanctuary
The Sanctuary Award is an initiative of University of Sanctuary Ireland, to encourage and celebrate good practice of universities, colleges and other education institutes welcoming refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants into their university communities and fostering a culture of welcome and inclusion for all those seeking sanctuary. TUS was designated a University of Sanctuary in June 2022 becoming the first Technological University in Ireland to be given the award.
Click here to learn more about available scholarships.
Higher Education Authority (HEA)
The HEA website provides details of many scholarships and bursaries.
Click here to learn more about available scholarships.