What Scholarships, Bursaries and Supports are available at college?
There are many different types of scholarships, bursaries and supports available to students attending third level colleges throughout Ireland. They are offered based on specific talents, academic performance, sporting excellence or an individual’s socio- economic circumstances. In most cases, you must apply for the scholarship but sometimes you may get it automatically, such is the case with Entrance Scholarships.
Entrance Scholarships
Many colleges offer entrance scholarships based on your points score, for example, get 550 points and you will receive a cash payment. Here is a selection:
Maynooth University: €1,000 to each first- year student who obtains 550 points.
UCD Entrance Scholar Awards: presented to first year students who achieve 560 points or above.
NUIG: offer a scholarship of €1,500 to high achieving first year students.
University of Limerick: €2,000 to first year students based on performance in Leaving Cert.
Selection of other Scholarships & Bursaries:
NUI Galway Creative Arts Performance Points: offers 40 leaving cert. points for students who show exceptional artistic achievement under six areas of excellence: creative writing, digital arts and music, drama and theatre, film, non -fiction writing including Journalism, music. Application deadline: 15th May 2021
UCD Ad Astra Scholarships: awarded to high achieving students, benefits include mentoring, a range of tailored supports and €3,000 for each year they are a member. Application deadline: 22nd August 2021.
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI): offer two scholarships to first years. The Aim High Medicine Scholarship – deadline 1st July, worth €25,000 to study medicine, must meet HEAR criteria to apply. The Kieran Pathak Scholarship – deadline 1st July, must be HEAR eligible to apply for this to study Pharmacy at RCSI.
Letterkenny I.T. offer a number of Scholarships and Bursaries such as The Reach Bursary. To be eligible, you must have a disability or financial concerns going to college. It is worth €800 per year of study and offers extra help in Maths and Communications. Deadline is 10th June 2021. They also offer the New Entrant Sports Scholarships which offer €1500, €1000 or €500 plus many other benefits.
Optum North West Healthcare Scholarships: open to students who have made a CAO application for a specific programme in Science, Technology, Nursing or Health at LYIT, along with other criteria. It offers €2,500 for each year of study. The application deadline is Friday 28 May 2021.
Optum Regional Scholarship: applicants must have applied for a specific programme in NUIG or Ulster University, Coleraine. It offers €7,000 for each year of study. The application deadline is Fri. 28 May 2021.
1916 Bursary Fund: The purpose of this funding is to encourage participation and success by students from sections of society that are significantly under-represented in higher education. Each bursary will be in the amount of €5,000 per annum. Many colleges are part of this fund. Check with the individual college for application details.
The Naughton Scholarships are a scheme of scholarships to promote the study of engineering, science and technology at third level by students in Ireland. Worth €5,000 per year. Deadline 30 May 2021.
All Ireland Scholarships: Awarded to top 100 performing leaving cert students from disadvantaged backgrounds. No formal application. Successful students will be notified about their scholarships. You must be exempt from paying the Leaving Cert fee and this automatically enters you into the competition for award. €6,750 per annum.
Also, it is worth noting that many colleges in Ireland participate in the Student Assistance Fund. It provides financial support to full or part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college. Students can apply for the Student Assistance Fund to help with either temporary or ongoing financial difficulties while at college. The Student Assistance Fund is designed to provide a source of financial support in addition to SUSI. If you are in financial difficulty, you should contact the access or student services office in your college for more information on how to apply for the Student Assistance Fund.
Many colleges also offer excellent Sports Scholarships. The deadlines for many have now passed but it is worth checking college websites to see what are still available for application.
There is a huge variety of scholarships and supports available. This is just a snapshot. My advice is to check individual college websites for information on their specific scholarships and bursaries. The Scholarship search tool on Careersportal, https://careersportal.ie/scholarships , is another excellent resourse. Also, speak with your Guidance Counsellor in school as they are a great source of support in terms of making an application. If you would like further information and advice, Contact McCullagh Careers today at info@mccullaghcareers.ie or 0872120527 for an appointment.